- Date
- October 4, 2025, 17:00 local (23:00 UTC)
- Place
- Evanston, WY · Rural Evanston, WY
- Injuries
- 2 serious
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N96WJAviat A1
- Defining event
- Enroute-cruise: Turbulence encounter
- Weather
- Day
- Status
- Completed · report April 14, 2026
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Western Pacific Region
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration
- Case key
- 202034
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 airplane’s encounter with downdrafts in mountainous terrain, which resulted in a collision with terrain. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s decision to continue the flight through mountainous terrain in marginal weather conditions.
Findings · 3
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The pilot reported that he was flying cross-country to his home airport. While en route, the pilot determined that weather conditions prevented continued flight to his planned destination, and chose to divert to another airport. According to the pilot, while en route to his diversion airport over mountainous terrain, he encountered low ceilings of about 500 to 1,000 ft above ground level and strong downdrafts. The pilot was unable to maintain altitude and impacted rising terrain, resulting in substantial damage to the fuselage, empennage and both wings. The pilot reported no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. He stated that the accident would likely have been prevented if he had stopped at an airport he had passed prior to reaching the mountainous terrain.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N96WJ
- Reported as
- Aviat A1 (C200)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 3397
- Built
- 2022
- Airframe hours
- 85
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-360-A1D6, 200 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Dk Aviation LLC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · October 3, 2025 · 5 hours before
- Departed
- KLSK · Lusk, WY
- Destination
- KBMC · Brigham, UT
- Flight plan
- VFR
- Equipment
- Onboard weather, Stall warning system, ADS-B, Auto-pilot, Electronic multifunction display, Electronic primary flight display
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
- 55
- Injuries
- Serious
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- BasicMed, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- October 11, 2024
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 1,500 total · 800 in this make and model · 1,500 as pilot in command · 110 in the last 90 days · 35 in the last 30 days · 10 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Day
- Wind
- 260° at 13 knots, gusting 20
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 10,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 64 °F, dew point 47 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.16 inHg
- Turbulence
- Moderate
- Observed at
- KEVW, 10 nm away
- METAR
- METAR KEVW 102253Z AUTO 22013G20KT 10SM SCT100 18/08 A3016 RMK AO2 SLP134 T01780083=
Docket · 5
The files NTSB released with the investigation on April 14, 2026, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 25.4 MB in all.