Arctic Aircraft Corp. S-1B2 accident near Meeteetse, Wyoming, August 16, 2002
On August 16, 2002 at about 2:30 pm local time, a Arctic Aircraft Corp. S-1B2, registered N71AT, was destroyed in an accident near Meeteetse, Wyoming. It was a public-use flight under public-use (government) rules. 1 person was killed and 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot's failure to maintain adequate airspeed, which resulted in an inadvertent stall/spin. A contributing factor was the intentional low pass/slow flight maneuver.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 16, 2002 · about 2:30 pm local time
- Place
- Meeteetse, Wyoming · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed and 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Arctic Aircraft Corp. S-1B2
- Registration
- N71AT · registry record · serial 1022
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Public-use flight · public-use (government) rules
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The purpose of the public use flight was to count antelope. The pilot made position reports every 20 minutes. When the pilot failed to report at the scheduled time, an aerial search was initiated. With the aid of a weak ELT signal, the wreckage was located. There were no witnesses and the surviving passenger did not recall any details of the accident. The airplane struck the ground in a near vertical attitude. The flap handle was in the first notch, or 10 degrees flaps down, position. According to the operator, the pilot required "more training" than other newly hired pilots.
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
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,785 hours in all; 96 in this make and model; 118 in the last 90 days; 52 in the last 30 days; 2,550 as pilot in command; 313 on instruments
- Last flight review: May 13, 2002
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,930 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 2, 2002; 34 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,650 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-B2B (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Wyoming Game And Fish Department
The flight
- Departed from: WRL Worland WY at 12:30 pm
- Destination: WRL Worland WY
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 55°F (13°C), dew point 41°F (5°C)
- Altimeter: 29.85 inHg
- Observation at 1:35 pm from COD, 35 miles away
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.
Other NTSB records under N71AT the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.