American General Aircraft AA5B accident near Worland, Wyoming, July 13, 2002
On July 13, 2002 at about 3:30 pm local time, a American General Aircraft AA5B, registered N28717, was destroyed in an accident near Worland, Wyoming. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured; 1 other was unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
Preview. This page is not yet listed for search engines.
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot's selection of an inadequate altitude for crossing mountainous terrain, resulting in a collision with trees. A contributing factor was the downdraft.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 13, 2002 · about 3:30 pm local time
- Place
- Worland, Wyoming · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured; 1 other was unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- American General Aircraft AA5B
- Registration
- N28717 · registry record · serial AA5B-0771
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot said he was crossing a mountain range approximately 800 feet above each series of mountains. A downdraft caused the airplane to lose both altitude and airspeed. Rising terrain prevented him from completing a 180-degree turn and the airplane struck a tree then impacted the ground.
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: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 4,464 hours in all; 1,400 in this make and model; 42 in the last 90 days; 15 in the last 30 days; 4,084 as pilot in command; 1,566 on instruments
- Last flight review: October 28, 2000
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection
- Maximum gross weight: 2,400 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A4K (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: COD Cody WY at 2:40 pm
- Destination: VTN Valentine NE
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 46°F (8°C)
- Altimeter: 30.05 inHg
- Observation at 2:53 pm from WRL, 52 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.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number DEN02LA075.