Cessna 172N accident near Lander, Wyoming, August 3, 1982
On August 3, 1982 at about 5:00 pm local time, a Cessna 172N, registered N6476G, was substantially damaged in an accident near Lander, Wyoming (Hunt airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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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 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 3, 1982 · about 5:00 pm local time
- Place
- Lander, Wyoming · Hunt · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172N · all 172Ns on the register
- Registration
- N6476G · registry record · serial 17273601
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT REPORTED THAT THE AIRCRAFT SUDDENLY VEERED TO THE RIGHT AFTER HE HAD SLOWED TO ABOUT 30 TO 35 KTS. AN EXAMINATION REVEALED THAT THE NOSE GEAR FORK HAD FAILED IN TWO PLACES. THE BREAKS WERE JUST BELOW THE STRUT ATTACHMENT POINT AND DIRECTLY ACCROSS FROM ONE ANOTHER. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE NOSEWHEEL SEPARATED AND THE NOSE GEAR COLLAPSED. THE AIRCRAFT THEN TRAVELED ALONG ON ITS NOSE, VEERED OFF THE RUNWAY, AND STRUCK AN IRRIGATION DITCH. IT WAS NOTED THAT THE AIRCRAFT HAD BEEN USED EXTENSIVELY FOR STUDENT TRAINING AND WAS REGULARLY OPERATED INTO ROUGH AND UNIMPROVED FIELDS.
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: student
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 38 hours in all; 31 in this make and model; 17 in the last 90 days; 15 in the last 30 days; 17 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,252 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 26 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,550 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-H2AD (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: D & Z Aviation, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: SD54 Mud Butte SD at 5:00 am
- Destination: Angier NC
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 21, 5,100 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 040° at 60 knots
- Visibility: 60 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; scat at 9,000 ft
- Temperature: 174°F (79°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:52 pm from LND
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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 DEN82DA152.