- Date
- September 18, 1989, 01:30 local (07:30 UTC)
- Place
- Afton, WY
- Injuries
- 2 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N739XXCessna 172N
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report September 30, 1991
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Case key
- 17611
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The non-instrument rated pilot's continued flight into instrument meteorological conditions (IMC) and his failure to maintain sufficient altitude to clear the terrain. Factors related to the accident were: darkness, adverse weather conditions, and rising/mountainous terrain.
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
As the non-instrument rated plt was returning from a x-country flt at night, the acft crashed on rising terrain. Impact occurred at an elevation of about 10,300 ft, near the top of a mtn ridge. No preimpact part failure or malfunction was found. An investigation revealed there was a fast moving cold front in the area with tstms. About 30 mi se at rock springs, WY, the wx was in part: 1300 ft broken, 5 mi vis with rain, wind fm 280 deg at 17 gusting 22 KTS.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N739XX
- Reported as
- Cessna 172N
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17270899
- Airframe hours
- 3,275
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-H2AD, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- France Flying Service, Inc
- Registered owner
- France Flying Service, Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · September 1, 1989 · 28 hours before
- Departed
- PIH · Pocatello, ID
- Destination
- RWL · Rawlins, WY
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
- 26
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 144 total · 75 in this make and model · 88 as pilot in command · 5 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- 280° at 17 knots, gusting 22
- Temperature
- 48 °F, dew point 46 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- RKS, 30 nm away