Gulfstream American CORP AA 5 accident near Cheyenne, Wyoming, July 7, 2016
On July 7, 2016 at about 5:55 pm local time, a 1979 Gulfstream American CORP AA 5, registered N26908, was substantially damaged in an accident during initial climb near Cheyenne, Wyoming. It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The airplane’s encounter with low-level wind shear during takeoff, which resulted in an off-airport landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 7, 2016 · about 5:55 pm local time
- Place
- Cheyenne, Wyoming · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Gulfstream American CORP AA 5 A, built 1979 · all AA 5s on the register
- Registration
- N26908 · no longer on the register · serial AA5A0805
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The flight instructor and student pilot were departing on an instructional cross-country flight when, just after takeoff, the airplane encountered wind and turbulence. The instructor had difficulty maintaining altitude and elected to perform an off-airport precautionary landing, during which the right wing sustained substantial damage. A weather study revealed conditions conducive to low-level wind shear and turbulence at the accident site at the time of the accident. Although the instructor had received an abbreviated weather briefing before departure, the briefing did not advise of the potential for low-level wind shear. It is likely that the encounter with wind shear during departure made it difficult for the airplane to maintain altitude.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
What happened, in order
- Windshear or thunderstorm during initial climb defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing (landing roll)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Aircraft capability › Climb capability › Capability exceeded
- cause Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Wind › Windshear › Ability to respond/compensate
Flight instructor
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot, flight engineer
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 17,786 hours in all; 123 in this make and model; 120 in the last 90 days; 27 in the last 30 days; 9,555 as pilot in command; 3,457 on instruments
- Last flight review: July 4, 2014
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
Dual student
- Flight time: 8 hours in all; 8 in this make and model; 0 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,710 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 7, 2016
- Maximum gross weight: 2,200 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming 0-320 E2G (piston); 2,754 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: CYS Cheyenne WY at 5:52 pm
- Destination: MDW Chicago IL
- Flight plan: none
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 090° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 39°F (4°C)
- Altimeter: 30.10 inHg
- Observation at 5:53 pm from CYS, 2 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 2 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.