Piper PA-18-125 accident near Afton, Wyoming, November 28, 1999
On November 28, 1999 at about 5:05 pm local time, a Piper PA-18-125, registered N1132A, was destroyed in an accident near Afton, Wyoming (Afton Municipal airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
Failure of the pilot to remove frost from the wings prior to takeoff, causing an inadvertent stall/spin on initial climbout. Factors included exceeding the aircraft's certificated gross weight, and fog conditions.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 12, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 28, 1999 · about 5:05 pm local time · cases in 1999
- Place
- Afton, Wyoming · Afton Municipal · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-18-125 · all PA-18-125s on the register
- Registration
- N1132A · no longer on the register · serial 18-726
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane was tied down on the ramp overnight. The pilot did not obtain a weather briefing or file a flight plan, and no airplane services were rendered. Witnesses said there was 'stand up' frost, 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick, on parked airplanes nearby. The temperature was near freezing, the wind was calm, and a heavy fog enveloped the airport when the airplane took off. It impacted terrain 400 yards west of the runway and burned. It was computed the airplane was 115 pounds overweight at takeoff.
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
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot, private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 1,200 hours in all; 100 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,826 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 1, 1999; 73 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,500 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-290-D (piston); 0 hours total
- Not recorded
The flight
- Departed from: AFO at 5:05 pm
- Destination: S67 Nampa ID
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 34, 5,220 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: not reported
- Visibility: 0.2 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded
- Temperature: 34°F (1°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
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.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N1132A: not on the register today · the record of its deregistration
- Piper PA-18 Super Cub 3,620 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Piper 44,844 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Lycoming O-290-D 45 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Afton Lincoln County/General Boyd L Eddins Field · nearest airport
- Accidents and incidents in Wyoming 777 since 1982 · 108 in the last ten years
- Wyoming 3,230 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/DEN00FA021.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.