- Date
- February 1, 1982, 18:45 local (Feb 2, 1982, 01:45 UTC)
- Place
- Rock Springs, WY
- Injuries
- 1 serious
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N8178FPiper PA-32
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report February 1, 1983
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19820201000259A
- Case key
- 72408
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The aircraft departed vernal,ut at 1810 MST after refueling. During the VFR flight the pilot reported to Rock Springs fss that he was 20 miles south and was given current weather and runway in use. No other transmissions were received. The aircraft struck a mountain ridge at approximately 8700 ft MSL. To date the pilot does not recall any events of the flight nor any details of the crash. The pilot was certificated for part 135 operations in late December 1981 and had flown the route on two other occasions.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N8178F
- Reported as
- Piper PA-32
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 32-8024016
- Airframe hours
- 957
- Engine
- Lycoming TIO-540-51AD, 300 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Part 135
- Operator
- Alpine Aviation
- Registered owner
- Alpine Aviation
- Departed
- Vernal, UT
- Destination
- Terry, MS
- Flight plan
- VFR
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 24
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Flight hours
- 1,275 total · 25 in this make and model · 1,145 as pilot in command · 198 in the last 90 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- 290° at 13 knots
- Visibility
- 3 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 2,000 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 64 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- RKS
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.