NTSB Releases Final Report on Utah Hawker Accident

Agency cites crew following improper procedures in fatal crash.

Meg Godlewski

Friday, January 02, 2026 at 12:00 PM ET

Verified

Edited By:

Travis Tingle

Wreckage at the accident site [Credit: NTSB]

Key Takeaways:

The NTSB concluded the fatal Hawker 900XP crash resulted from the flight crew attempting a post-maintenance stall test in known icing conditions, which degraded the wing's critical angle of attack.
The crew proceeded with the test despite lacking experience with Hawker stall characteristics and violating operational manual requirements for visual meteorological conditions and no icing.
Wing contamination from icing caused the stall to occur immediately with the stick shaker, providing no warning, and the crew's subsequent incorrect recovery actions exacerbated the uncommanded spin.

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The National Transportation Safety Board final report on the fatal crash of a Hawker 900XP over Westwater, Utah, in February notes the crew attempted to perform stall tests in icing conditions, even though they lacked experience performing the tests in the Hawker and were unfamiliar with the stall characteristics, which led to a loss of control and the death of both the pilot and copilot.

According to the report, two AIRMETs were issued about two and a half hours before the accident flight for moderate icing throughout the airplane’s climb and cruise altitude for the stall test. In addition, video showed that the departure airport was surrounded by obscuration and precipitation during takeoff.