Cessna 172 accident near Near Gillete, Wyoming, January 29, 1982
On January 29, 1982 at about 6:00 pm local time, a Cessna 172, registered N758RD, was substantially damaged in an accident near Near Gillete, Wyoming. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind 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 NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 29, 1982 · about 6:00 pm local time
- Place
- Near Gillete, Wyoming · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172 · all 172s on the register
- Registration
- N758RD · no longer on the register · serial R1723292
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PURPOSE OF THE FLIGHT WAS TO MAKE AN AERIAL SURVEY FOR LIVESTOCK. DURING FLIGHT, THE OBSERVER NOTED SOME CATTLE IN A COVE. THE PILOT THEN TURNED AND DESCENDED TO ABOUT 100 FEET AGL. AFTER LEVELING, HE NOTED THAT HE WOULD HAVE TO CLIMB OR TURN TO AVOID RISING TERRAIN. HE STATED THAT HE INSTINCTIVELY BANKED INTO A LEFT TURN. SECONDS LATER, HE COULD NO LONGER FEEL POSITIVE CONTROL OF THE AILERONS AND HE FELT THAT THE NOSE OF THE PLANE WAS BEING TUCKED UNDER. THE AIRCRAFT STRUCK HILLY TERRAIN.
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; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 4,027 hours in all; 506 in this make and model; 124 in the last 90 days; 4,025 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,120 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 5 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-360-K (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Dutton Aviation
The flight
- Departed from: Gillete WY at 9:30 am
- Destination: Gillete WY
- Flight plan: not recorded
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 260° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 40 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:40 am
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.
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.