Cessna 180 accident near Sheridan, Wyoming, June 30, 2006
On June 30, 2006 at about 9:09 pm local time, a Cessna 180, registered N153M, was substantially damaged in an accident near Sheridan, Wyoming (Sheridan County Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the partial loss of engine power for undetermined reasons. Contributing factors were the dirt embankment and fence.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 30, 2006 · about 9:09 pm local time
- Place
- Sheridan, Wyoming · Sheridan County Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 180 · all 180s on the register
- Registration
- N153M · registry record · serial 32314
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Prior to departure, the airplane had been refueled with 37.5 gallons of 100 low lead fuel. Shortly after takeoff from runway 23, the pilot "heard a pop/bang from the engine...engine seemed to lose power." The pilot stated that he felt a "severe vibration" after the pop/bang engine noise. The pilot executed a 180-degree left turn in an attempt to return to the airport. Subsequently, the airplane landed in a grass field, impacted a dirt embankment and a fence, and came to rest upright in a ditch. Examination of the aircraft revealed that the throttle cable was routed above the rear mounted alternator belt, and the cable was resting on the alternator belt. The throttle cable shielding was worn through by contact with the alternator belt, and the braided cable was exposed. No damage was noted to the braided throttle cable. One of the tubes of the engine mounting frame was fractured; the fracture surfaces were consistent with an overload failure. Mechanical continuity throughout the engine was established when the propeller was rotated by hand, and the engine was test run on the airframe. The engine test run was performed for approximately 1 minute at an engine tachometer speed of 1,300 RPM. No anomalies were noted with the engine during the examination and test run. The reason for the partial loss of engine power could not be determined. A review of the airplane's logbooks revealed the airplane underwent annual and 100-hour inspections between the time the overhauled engine was installed on the airframe and the accident.
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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,134 hours in all; 491 in this make and model; 13 in the last 90 days; 7 in the last 30 days; 1,039 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: February 1, 2005
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,572.7 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 1, 2005; 4,572.7 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,650 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470K (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SHR Sheridan WY at 9:05 pm
- Destination: 6S5 Hamilton MT
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 23, 5,039 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 090° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 8,500 ft
- Temperature: 95°F (35°C), dew point 54°F (12°C)
- Altimeter: 30.01 inHg
- Observation at 8:53 pm from SHR
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 N153M 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.