Pilot Crashes Plane into Own Home After Arrest

[Airbubba]

Another suicidal pilot in the news. :(

Police: pilot killed in Utah County crashed aircraft into his own home after arrest for domestic violencePosted 5:58 am, August 13, 2018, by Mark Green (https://fox13now.com/author/kstumarkgreen/) and Scott McKane (https://fox13now.com/author/kstuscottmckane/), Updated at 11:13AM, August 13, 2018
PAYSON, Utah -- Police confirm a pilot killed in Utah County Monday crashed the aircraft into his own residence just hours after he was arrested for a domestic violence incident.

The crash occurred at a home near 600 East Canyon Road near the mouth of Payson Canyon at 2:38 a.m. Monday.

https://localtvkstu.files.wordpress.com/2018/08/duane-youd.jpg?quality=85&strip=allThe Utah County Sheriff's Office confirms the pilot was killed, and Payson Police later identified the deceased as 47-year-old Duane Youd.

Public records indicate Youd lives at the home where the plane crashed with his wife and that the couple bought the home last year. Payson Police confirm there have been previous domestic violence incidents at the home.

Sgt. Noemi Sandoval of the Payson Police Department said Youd was arrested after a domestic violence incident Sunday around 7:30 p.m. They said he was released on bail later that night and went home to secure some belongings and then left the residence.

Sandoval said the next thing police knew, the man had crashed a plane into his home after taking off from Spanish Fork Airport.

Youd's wife and her son were in the home at the time of the crash and escaped unharmed.

https://localtvkstu.files.wordpress.com/2018/08/payson-plane-crash-e1534172555632.jpg?quality=85&strip=all&w=600Plane crashes into house at the mouth of Payson Canyon.

"There were two individuals in the home at the time that the plane went in," Sandoval said. "They were able to get out of the home without any injuries. Obviously they were very shook up over what had happened but they weren't physically injured."

The home itself caught fire and became fully engulfed before crews arrived and extinguished the flames.

The plane was destroyed.

"There was a significant fireball, so there's not a whole lot left of the plane itself," Sandoval said.

Videos show the fireball Sandoval described as well as crews fighting the fire that engulfed the home.



https://fox13now.com/2018/08/13/one-dead-after-plane-crashes-into-house-at-mouth-of-payson-canyon/

[Airbubba]

Anybody recognize the latest stolen aircraft type?

These pictures are by Scott G. Winterton of the Deseret News:

https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.gmforum.com-vbulletin/1200x662/0031416305_1d32df9e132d84c44ee0d5b0901e6b6d2fb44bc7.jpg
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.gmforum.com-vbulletin/1200x757/dbdd4b8703_2b9489e2b71df36d48dc775bbbc0689b8c8caecc.jpg
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.gmforum.com-vbulletin/1200x853/0456a12198_4165c937577105583b900f15de6d7e46814b788e.jpg
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.gmforum.com-vbulletin/1200x763/4ecf1a0591_36158adcd2291a8822c52f108529f1505e67f9ca.jpg
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.gmforum.com-vbulletin/1200x794/dfab260962_5d119175d00221ca2ae6d4409ba714ebf126178a.jpg
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.gmforum.com-vbulletin/1200x800/3050095262_99ff0b9e60986e2381b0fee3eb5cb7a11f0ad3be.jpg

[RufusXS]

Anybody recognize the latest stolen aircraft type?

These pictures are by Scott G. Winterton of the Deseret News:



I read in another article that it was a Cessna 525 (not sure what vintage).

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/utah-plane-crash-duane-youd-cessna-home-dies-released-from-jail-today-2018-08-13/

[Airbubba]

Thanks. Looks like Mr. Youd was indeed a professional pilot.

According to the FAA database he had an ATP with CE-525S, CE-560XL and CL-65 type ratings, the last two SIC only.

According to a Facebook posting he used to work for Endeavor Air.

[pattern_is_full]

From trapezoidal, unswept T-tail, I'd say CJ1 version of the 525 (CJ2/3/4 had swept stabilizers). Apparently recently employed as medevac pilot (Guardian Air?)

[andrasz]

Given the circumstances, I am rather surprised to see an intact wing and tailpane, which all suggest a relatively low energy impact. Did he land and roll into the house... ?

[Turbine D]

Andrasz,

In response to your question, at 2:30 am in darkness, he managed to miss some power lines but hit a car parked in front of the house on the street. That probably erased some of the speed when he impacted the house. It looked like the car was turned on its side, so he hit it reasonably hard.

[eagleflyer]

Interesting how little damage a light jet does to a presumably wooden house.

[Una Due Tfc]

I think the difference between this guy and most others is this guy wanted to take someone else with him. Not just suicidal, but homicidal too.

[Concours77]

Interesting how little damage a light jet does to a presumably wooden house.

Most of his velocity at impact may have been vertical. Was the house even hit? The engine/pod, severed from the fuselage, is still adjacent the VS. There seems to be little horizontal dispersal of aircraft debris.

Imo.

[BlankBox]

https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.gmforum.com-vbulletin/634x351/zz_77f96d822c44f61ccbf7ebf9b3057404f0a7c0ac.jpg

...tricky spot...

[Concours77]

No pilot, even when committing suicide, wants to impact nose first. Without exception, they will level, even if it makes no difference on flight path. Pancake preferred over lawn dart. The house front door is still on its hinges.

[Pearly White]

No pilot, even when committing suicide, wants to impact nose first. Without exception, they will level, even if it makes no difference on flight path. Pancake preferred over lawn dart. The house front door is still on its hinges.
How do you know this? The experience in 1941 indicates the opposite.

[Concours77]

How do you know this? The experience in 1941 indicates the opposite.

Howdy. Dunno about 1941. Recent history shows that when startled, or severely stressed, most pilots pull.

Addend. From the P-47 flight manual. “When ditching, DO NOT STALL. NEVER STALL...” Seems most pilots wanted to pull. Even in 1940?

[pattern_is_full]

Some notable points in those (and other) photos:
- right wing is rotated back and under the fuselage (in bottom picture post #2 of man crouching, he's almost "sitting" on the leading edge)
- bottom of garage door smashed in, yet wing is still 6-8 feet in front of it (firemen cut it open to get a stream on the fire? Wing hit door and bounced back?)
- no gouges or other marks at all on asphalt street
- aircraft nose appears to have penetrated a large living room window - which may have saved the rest of the wall structure.
- front porch, except for burn-through, seems to be structurally complete. Aircraft went in "under" it without contact.
- there appears to be one small notch cut in the roof edge of the garage across the street, visible in post #11 photo, in line with final aircraft position. A bigger version of that same photo shows the notch more clearly, with broken shingles scattered down the roof below it. Yet the chimney 10-15 feet left, and taller, seems untouched.

[Concours77]

Some notable points in those (and other) photos:
- right wing is rotated back and under the fuselage (in bottom picture post #2 of man crouching, he's almost "sitting" on the leading edge)
- bottom of garage door smashed in, yet wing is still 6-8 feet in front of it (firemen cut it open to get a stream on the fire? Wing hit door and bounced back?)
- no gouges or other marks at all on asphalt street
- aircraft nose appears to have penetrated a large living room window - which may have saved the rest of the wall structure.
- front porch, except for burn-through, seems to be structurally complete. Aircraft went in "under" it without contact.
- there appears to be one small notch cut in the roof edge of the garage across the street, visible in post #11 photo, in line with final aircraft position. A bigger version of that same photo shows the notch more clearly, with broken shingles scattered down the roof below it. Yet the chimney 10-15 feet left, and taller, seems untouched.

If that is a/c damage on the roof across the street, (likely), and the Cessna hit the curb of the pilot’s house, also likely, does that make the flight path angle about ten degrees?

That makes the damage caused by LMG? Couldn’t be wing tip, that makes the path too far right?

The orientation of the right wing as you describe might indicate the a/c was rolled to the right, and dropped onto the folded under right wing , righting itself? Might be getting a bit too far ahead of myself here.

[500 above]

The aircraft was N526CP - C/N 525-0099.

[pattern_is_full]

My gut says a pilot intent on self-destruction wouldn't bother putting the gear down. But maybe out of habit, or to silence a warning horn...?

The CJ1 has rather short gear - not sure how gear could hit the roof that low, while the left wing cleared all the higher structures. But perhaps right bank.

I expect there is a connection between the broken right wing and the automobile flipped onto the sidewalk - with or without a bank.

[Concours77]

My gut says a pilot intent on self-destruction wouldn't bother putting the gear down. But maybe out of habit, or to silence a warning horn...?

The CJ1 has rather short gear - not sure how gear could hit the roof that low, while the left wing cleared all the higher structures. But perhaps right bank.

I expect there is a connection between the broken right wing and the automobile flipped onto the sidewalk - with or without a bank.

No doubts he intended to kill himself. It also is likely he intended to kill his family. He was acting out in rage and desperation (IMO), and May even have tailored his “approach” to be certain of the total destruction of his home and family. Topped up tanks, gear down flaps out for slow and maneuverability, he may have been keen on flying through the front door and exploding the surroundings. Noted the gear is short, but the notch in the roof looks a lot like gear and door. Dunno what else was hanging out that could have been consistent with the evidence but gear. Yeah, the car and wing tangled. The splash up the driveway looks like stains from gushing fuel? These are strange days.

[meadowrun]

Very strange photos of the scene. House seems still structurally sound. Not much of a fire or impact. The landscaping is hardly disturbed. The utility box out front looks pristine. No scrapes or gouges on the road. The sidewalk curb still there. No debris in street. This was a twin jet.
Looks more like it was dropped by a crane onto the driveway and went boom.

[Concours77]

Very strange photos of the scene. House seems still structurally sound. Not much of a fire or impact. The landscaping is hardly disturbed. The utility box out front looks pristine. No scrapes or gouges on the road. The sidewalk curb still there. No debris in street. This was a twin jet.
Looks more like it was dropped by a crane onto the driveway and went boom.

Beyond strange. The trajectory had to have been close to vertical, but how could he have hit a specific home at 3AM? How could he have kept any kind of control right up to impact? The “heading”, the “pancake”, the lack of local surface disruption. I’ve seen mva with far more damage. It looks like the set of a movie. Like I said, the front door is still on its hinges...

Cue up the tinfoil hats.

[Jay Arr]

Yes. I've been wondering the exact same thing for the past 24 hours. He plonked it vertically onto the driveway at 3am in total darkness, and caused virtually no impact damage to the house or collateral damage to the neighbourhood? The left wing and rear fuselage geometry look completely normal, as if...... the aircraft was parked in the driveway and then set alight.....

I am not a conspiracist (16,000 hr heavy jet driver actually) but there is lot here that doesn't look right.

Then again, I'm reading stall speed (full flap) is around 81 kts so a "short-field" type of approach: maybe? Doable? I tell you what, his aim was precise.

Any Citation drivers want to comment?

[RatherBeFlying]

My guess is Insulated Concrete Form construction.

https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.gmforum.com-vbulletin/1000x780/15342925263831609729719_53edb0ef7083021c706904c8f3924c93d0a3 dc63.jpg

[Airbubba]

A follow-up article with more details:

AP NewsBreak: Pilot who crashed his own home had hangar code

By BRADY McCOMBS, Associated Press Aug. 14, 2018 Updated: Aug. 14, 2018 5:09 p.m.

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — A man who died when he flew a plane into his own house after he had been arrested for assaulting his wife had full access to his employer's plane because he had earned the firm's trust, the president of the Utah company said Tuesday.

Duane Youd, 47, was a "rock-solid" employee and a good person during 13 months as company pilot, Leon Van Sickle told The Associated Press. He is the president of the VanCon, Inc., a general engineering company.

He said Youd had the digital access code to the airplane hangar, though he had no idea he would take the plane early Monday. Youd was a stellar pilot who flew employees to business meetings around North America in the company's only plane, a twin-engine Cessna 525, Van Sickle said.

"He's the manager of the plane," Van Sickle said. "He had full access to it. . . It all boils to trust. I don't know what we would have done different. He flies with our lives at stake and we thoroughly trusted him beyond measure. He took great care of us. He never took chances. Everything was by the book."

The crash occurred at about 2:30 a.m. Monday in Payson, a city of about 20,000 people about 60 miles (95 kilometers) south of Salt Lake City. He had posted bail just hours earlier after being arrested after witnesses reporting seeing him assault his wife, authorities said.

His wife and her 24-year-old son escaped as the two-story house became engulfed in flames, authorities said They had not disclosed how Youd gained access to the company plane.

Youd took the plane out of a hangar at the small Spanish Fork-Springville Airport, where there are no air towers or traffic control monitoring of who takes off or lands, said airport manager Cris Child.

Van Sickle said he heard rumblings that Youd was having some marital problems but that he never fathomed he would do what he did. He was not aware of the domestic violence incident Sunday night or another one in April, he said.

"I couldn't' believe it. It's unbelievable," Van Sickle said. "The guy was just golden. He was rock solid. You just can't even fathom this. It's just so tragic."

Payson police Sgt. Noemi Sandoval said Monday that investigators believe Youd hit his house intentionally.

Having surveyed the wreckage and knowing Youd as a pilot, Van Sickle said he agrees it was intentional. He noted that Youd had to fly under high-voltage power lines and avoid other houses to hit his own house without causing any more damage.

"That took some skill," Van Sickle said.










Some video of the hangar door operation and taxi out here:

https://kutv.com/news/local/surveillance-video-08-13-2018

An overhead view of the scene:

http://twitter.com/KSLSharaPark/status/1028995019921715200

[Airbubba]

More pictures of the puzzling scene from Shara Park's KSL Twitter feed:

https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.gmforum.com-vbulletin/1200x824/dke6s_lvaaa76m__8937dc295d0378bde5d16a201301157a70f2ec24.jpg
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.gmforum.com-vbulletin/1200x862/dke6s_yuuaixlod_0a2c409b51f3d710c6c2e2d5b8cbb1c723cc0a57.jpg
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.gmforum.com-vbulletin/1200x768/dke6s_zu8aampnc_2ac8120a089738aa3fa116b64c3b155d0b31a1c8.jpg

[Concours77]

In the middle pic above, note the skid marks of each main gear, right gear first, then left. Just before the sidewalk, indicating a bank angle to the right, though not much of one. She hit with her wheels, then likely hit the parked car with the right wing root. He literally put the passenger section in the living room. I think he kept it dirty for slow speed “spot landing”.

[Jay Arr]

You're right, Concours77. That middle photo does show skid-marks very clearly; quite obvious now that you point them out. Really quite an skillful bit of flying given it was night-time. What a shame it was for nefarious purposes.

[pattern_is_full]

Concede I missed those tire marks in other pix - only excuse is that they are not much bigger than a fireman's sooty footprints.

In any other circumstances, this would just be a nice contender for world's record STOL jet landing performance (discounting carrier recoveries).

[ethicalconundrum]

I think the car was parked at the curb, and the right wing struck it low, taking quite a bit of energy out of the impact, and flipping the car anti-clockwise. would account for some of the lack of damage to the house structure.

Edited to correct 'left' to 'right' wing. sorry...

[Sorry Dog]

I think the car was parked at the curb, and the right wing struck it low, taking quite a bit of energy out of the impact, and flipping the car anti-clockwise. would account for some of the lack of damage to the house structure.

Edited to correct 'left' to 'right' wing. sorry...

I think the same.

If the guy's goal was to destroy the house, thankfully he missed being 10 or 20 feet too low. Maybe he wasn't trying to kill everybody, but guess we'll never really know. If you are trying to do that, I would think 350 knots on a steep dive angle would be more for sure.

BTW - I bet the house construction is typical 2x4 pine framing with plywood/OSB siding, insulation, and stucco/stone veneer siding. Strong but won't take a direct hit. The car, street curb, and especially the raised front porch likely took the majority of the energy.

[Concours77]

I think the same.

If the guy's goal was to destroy the house, thankfully he missed being 10 or 20 feet too low. Maybe he wasn't trying to kill everybody, but guess we'll never really know. If you are trying to do that, I would think 350 knots on a steep dive angle would be more for sure.

BTW - I bet the house construction is typical 2x4 pine framing with plywood/OSB siding, insulation, and stucco/stone veneer siding. Strong but won't take a direct hit. The car, street curb, and especially the raised front porch likely took the majority of the energy.

Likely Doug Fir, not pine. Pine is less available, expensive, and not as strong as DF. OSB, yeah, and stucco. I’ve used that standoff pier clad in stone with double 6x6 columns detail in houses I’ve built. The skid marks show a short bounce by the trailing link, and a second faint scrub just past the initial ones. The left gear shows a slightly different track, a bit left of the starboard wheel track. I think the left gear may have been damaged by the impact with the garage roof across the street, causing the wheel to misalign. The skidmarks support the roll right theory, and tend to confirm the bank angle to the right just before hitting the street.

btw. I think the bank was intentional, he was trying to turn right to hit the front door. Actually he was a little low and a little left when the House came into view.

There is another possibility. He may have not intended to harm anyone. He may have been trying to scare the s—t out of Mom and stepson, but stalled when he tried to climb. A lot would depend on the noise level the neighbors might be reporting. Two Williams 44’s at full chat low and slow would put the fear of God into, well, God.

just sayin.

[Airbubba]

An obituary, the funeral is on Saturday.

Duane L (Rhedd) Youd

Aug 16, 2018

https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.gmforum.com-vbulletin/1050x1500/5b746da92fd86_image_3e467b0cc38a2185a05e9770411ef257ef87ef4b .jpg

1970-2018

Duane L. (Rhedd) Youd, 47, of Payson, Utah passed away Monday, August 13, 2018. Duane, or Rhedd, as he was known to family and friends, was born November 6, 1970 in Payson, Utah to Lynn J and Beverly MacKay Youd. He grew up in Lake Shore and was a graduate of Spanish Fork High School. He continued his education at UVU where he graduated with an associate degree. Rhedd then participated in a piloting program and became a pilot and instructor with Diamond Flight Center.

Rhedd married Michelle Darling and they are the parents of two children. They were later divorced. He then married Sandy M. Petersen and they have enjoyed many great memories and adventures together. Rhedd was known for his generous spirit, willingness to help anyone, and his neighborly love.He started his own business, Rhedd’s Tint and Trim, which he operated for over 30 years. He started out at Pinnacle Airlines and moved on to fly for rescue flights with AMRG and Guardian Flight. He flew for the State of Utah and enjoyed serving the governor. His latest flying was as a private pilot for private businesses in Utah County. He was always hard-working and fair in his business endeavors.

Rhedd enjoyed any adventure and traveling, and especially loved to try anything new. He loved flying, jeeping, boating, dirt biking, and anything that involved speed. He also enjoyed the outdoors and customizing cars. He was a talented craftsman and could fix anything. He was a true friend and had many friends in many places.

He was an active member of the LDS Church, Eagle Scout, and was involved in the Young Men’s Program and Scouts. He loved them and they adored him.He is survived by his children, Joslyn Youd and Parker Youd; wife, Sandy; step-children, Collin McNeal, Summer Johnson, Alec Johnson, and Brooks Johnson; his father, Lynn; his siblings, Jay (Mary Ann) Youd, Kathy (Jay) Hair, Steven (Konni) Youd, Charlene (Dale) Koyle, and sister-in-law, Linda (Bill) Lay. Rhedd will be remembered by his family and friends for the daily acts of service and kindness he exhibited throughout his life.

He was preceded in death by his mother, Beverly; and brother, Roger Youd.

Funeral services will be held Saturday, August 18, 2018 at 11:00 a.m. at the Payson 3rd Ward Chapel, 274 S. Main Street, Payson, Utah. Family and friends may visit on Friday evening, August 17, from 6:00-8:00 p.m. at Walker Funeral Home, 187 S. Main Street, Spanish Fork, Utah, and on Saturday morning at the church from 9:30-10:45 a.m. prior to the service. Interment will be in the Spanish Fork City Cemetery. Condolences may be sent to the family at: www.walkerobits.com (http://www.walkerobits.com/).


https://www.heraldextra.com/lifestyles/announcements/obituaries/duane-l-rhedd-youd/article_bc9d74e4-b125-53c4-ac29-a3ec87ca3aee.html

[Concours77]

Sorry Dog mentioned a different type of approach, 350 knots nose on target.

I see gear down, left flap full, and minimal destruction not involving the aircraft.

The Obit describes a stand up family man.

I prefer to think he was bent on extreme nuisance, not homicide.

Thanks Airbubba, posting his obituary was a kind move.

[meadowrun]

Anyone seen any security cam video from this apparently affluent neighbourhood? Usually they're thick as flies these days.

[TWT]

I suspect the FBI have already collected all security cam videos ( if any exist ) and won't be releasing them .....

[scifi]

Has anyone worked out why the wheels were down...?

[Concours77]

Don’t forget what looks like a wing flap fully extended.

[aterpster]

I suspect the FBI have already collected all security cam videos ( if any exist ) and won't be releasing them .....
Perhaps some owner was smart enough to make a duplicate before he/she handed a home surveillance video over to law enforcement.

[Sorry Dog]

Likely Doug Fir, not pine. Pine is less available, expensive, and not as strong as DF.

There is another possibility. He may have not intended to harm anyone. He may have been trying to scare the s—t out of Mom and stepson, but stalled when he tried to climb. A lot would depend on the noise level the neighbors might be reporting. Two Williams 44’s at full chat low and slow would put the fear of God into, well, God.

just sayin.

I think that is a reasonable enough possibility. Not that it absolves him of guilt, but intent does count for something. Either way it seems more like acts of extreme emotion not thought out that well. If it was a cold calculated take everything out mindset then the outcome probably would have been different.


BTW- To me pine is generic term that covers all the mass market softwoods that most houses are now framed with.

[uffington sb]

If you have a look on GE street view, look from the Nebo Loop road. The house on 1200 S is under construction, plywood? The houses opposite are single storey and fairly clear behind them making the approach not as steep as I had originally thought. If you turn into 1200 S, the house becomes a vacant lot.

[pilotmike]

Has anyone worked out why the wheels were down...?

Or possibly the tyre marks are from the car that was pushed sideways before flipping over, rather than from the aircraft?

Having said that, the marks appear a little too far apart to match with the car, and the car would have to have been parked quite a way from the kerb to leave those marks.

[PukinDog]

Dude was arrested for domestic violence just hours earlier when witnesses who saw him physically beating his wife on the side of the road called police. Punched her. Head-butted her repeatedly in the face. 2nd arrest for domestic violence within 6 months. Around midnight after making bail was escorted by police to his own home around midnight to get some things, after which he goes to the airport, fires up the plane, and proceeds to crash it into the house where his wife was sleeping.

Yet some question if wife-beating, Kamikaze Rhedd really meant to do any harm?

Wow.

[cattletruck]

Doubt it was suicide as it doesn't fit the control freak/narcissistic personality.

I reckon he just tried to exert his authority by trying to scare her with a loud low pass and completely f-d it up. What a waste of a totally good aircraft.

[B2N2]

Attempted murder-suicide as his career would pretty much have been over or should be anyway after the arrest.

[Lord Farringdon]

Anyone seen any security cam video from this apparently affluent neighbourhood? Usually they're thick as flies these days.

Here's one.
https://fox13now.com/2018/08/13/one-dead-after-plane-crashes-into-house-at-mouth-of-payson-canyon/

You'll have to scroll down to the second video in that link.

I think that clears up a few things, such as this was no screwed up low pass, and it wasn't pancaked in. It was definately a well aimed kamikaze attack with only one possible outcome. I imagine the video makes it look a bit faster than it probably was since there is nothing to gauge size and distance from which to judge the speed..

[Concours77]

Dude was arrested for domestic violence just hours earlier when witnesses who saw him physically beating his wife on the side of the road called police. Punched her. Head-butted her repeatedly in the face. 2nd arrest for domestic violence within 6 months. Around midnight after making bail was escorted by police to his own home around midnight to get some things, after which he goes to the airport, fires up the plane, and proceeds to crash it into the house where his wife was sleeping.

Yet some question if wife-beating, Kamikaze Rhedd really meant to do any harm?

Wow.
In the nineties I worked as an investigator for defense attorneys. I may have that bias you suggest in your post. It might look like empathy, it isn’t. I learned one basic thing. It is impossible (for me anyway) to read a mature human being as to intent. I worked on some fascinating homicides; none of them were obvious at the outset. Knowing that, it became a project of research and data.

As a pilot, the plane’s configuration is interesting. Did he leave the gear down after launch from Spanish Fork? Was he just distracted, upset, or focused? Why the flaps? These questions come up naturally; forming an immediate conclusion is never productive. Was reported they had been drinking. That makes the case even more resistant to “intuition”.

I thought the Press report was satisfactory, the video was pure luck, though more a sign of the times than good neighborhood planning.

Pukin’ dog, I used the word “possibility”. Did you miss that? Your post suggests to me that you might have this thing all figured out. That so?

Sorry Dog. Yeah, lots of people use “pine” to mean softwood in general. Got it.

From the video, I see three discrete nav lights flashes. It suggests two things, and since my comments are gratis, I have no worry about offering a cash refund if my comment is in the weeds.

The aircraft “dove steeply” into the home. I estimate the velocity at 120 knots.

[pattern_is_full]

Actually, in the home-security video, what I see is the plane (well, its beacon or wing strobes) flying in a nearly flat trajectory at or below tree-top level (compare strobes to trees illuminated by explosion). With about an ~80-foot/25m dive in the last moments. Something (houses, trees) hides the final beacon flash. I think the speed may be a bit faster than 120, but not much.

*........ *........ *................. (**boom**) PPP (trees)

A bit more about the impact with the garage across the street - video also shows left wingtip damage (briefly): https://fox13now.com/2018/08/13/payson-residence-narrowly-missed-by-plane-that-struck-neighbors-home/

It'll be interesting to see just how much of a technical report the NTSB issues, given the rather obvious "cause" - intentional pilot action. But maybe, if only to sort out the intentional-crash vs. stalled-flyby question.

I don't put a lot of weight on the "his career was already ended by the assault charges" argument - making an intentional successful low pass would still mean he was ending his career.

[Concours77]

Respect, 120 knots is 138 mph. The “dive” could be a Stall. But I see it as you do, except any wingtip contact with the house across the street puts the heading rather too far right? The damage to the roof looks very much like the gear went through the structure. Construction detail. The roof is framed not with rafters, but “purlins” ninety degrees relative to standard rafters. It is possible the framework is “applied purlins” to support the outlook. Purlins in that design would be a rarity, imo.

This gives great longitudinal strength to the roof against damage in the direction of the aircraft. Do you see where the skidmarks show a change in direction to the right, suggesting the contact with the auto imparted a rotation in that direction?
Or, at least an impediment to continued forward scrub?

[archae86]

A local news source, Deseret News, lists the house address as 584 E Canyon Road in Payson Utah. Deseret News Story (https://www.deseretnews.com/article/900028471/why-wife-of-pilot-who-crashed-into-payson-home-may-never-find-answers.html)
Zillow.com (a widely used real estate site) asserts that the home at that address was built in 2016. Zillow listing for incident house (https://www.zillow.com/homes/for_sale/190534997_zpid/globalrelevanceex_sort/40.027142,-111.718346,40.022159,-111.726548_rect/17_zm/?view=public)
The new build may account for the fact that neither Google StreetView nor Bing Birdseye show the incident home. But they do have overhead photography (commonly mislabeled as satellite).
From the overhead photography, it appears that the distance from the landing gear damage to the garage roof line across the street to the witness mark from landing gear on the street is just under 80 feet. If one knew the elevation difference between the garage roofline and the street at that point, one would have the descent angle at impact. I'll hazard a round number guess of 10 feet.
Were 10 feet and 80 feet correct (neither is), this would give a 12.5 percent grade, or a 7.2 degree angle of descent.

Possibly landing gear and flaps were extended to allow a steeper stable glide slope than flight idle would provide, or to allow the more precision control a somewhat higher power setting would give.
I suspect my 10 foot round number guess is a bit low, as the garage has a window at the peak, and the damage is only a little below the peak. Also the distance appears a bit less 80, but not less than 75 feet. So possibly up to an 8 degree angle, but not much more.

I am neither a pilot nor a forensic investigator, and am more trying to suggest a path to an answer on this point than to provide the proper answer.

[Concours77]

Hi archae86. I made a wag (wild ass guess) earlier without giving it much thought, and posted ten degrees. I think your method and result is more accurate, and pattern is full’s early estimate of 80feet gable to skidmarks jives with yours.

rgds.

[uffington sb]

archae.
on my GE it’s down as 1200 S. if you look on street view from the Nebo Loop Road/S Payson Canyon, the house is in the process of construction. You can get a good idea of the approach angle as he went under the power lines, but hit the single storey house.
On imaps it’s down as Rhedd’s Tint & Trim.