Piper 28-180 accident near Alpine, Wyoming, May 3, 1983
On May 3, 1983 at about 5:30 pm local time, a Piper 28-180, registered N7295W, was destroyed in an accident near Alpine, Wyoming. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
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
- May 3, 1983 · about 5:30 pm local time
- Place
- Alpine, Wyoming · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Piper 28-180
- Registration
- N7295W · no longer on the register · serial 28-1140
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT COLLIDED WITH MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN IN IMC WEATHER. THE PILOT HAD BEEN BRIEFED ON THE WEATHER. PART OF THE OBSERVATION CALLED FOR MOUNTAIN OBSCURATION BY CLOUDS OR PRECIPITATION. A PERSON WHO RESIDES IN ALPINE, WY SAID THE MOUNTAIN TOPS WERE OBSCURED AND THERE WERE SNOW SHOWERS IN THE HIGHER ELEVATIONS. EXAMINATION OF THE WRECKAGE REVEALED THAT THE ACFT STRUCK THE SNOW COVERED RISING TERRAIN IN A NOSE HIGH RIGHT WING LOW ATTITUDE AT THE 9500 FT LEVEL. THE PLT HAD FILED A VFR FLT PLAN WAS NOT INSTRUMENT RATED AND HAD NOT FLOWN THIS ROUTE BEFORE. THE PILOTS FLT LOG REVEALED THAT THE PLT DID NOT RECEIVE ANY MOUNTAIN FLYING INSTRUCTION BEFORE OR AFTER RECEIVING HIS PLTS LICENSE.
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
- Flight time: 97 hours in all; 9 in this make and model; 64 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,033 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, June 9, 1982; 33 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,400 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A3A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MSO Missoula MT at 7:50 am
- Destination: RKS Rock Springs WY
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.
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.