Piper 24-180 accident near Horse Creek, Wyoming, May 30, 1983
On May 30, 1983 at about 5:51 pm local time, a Piper 24-180, registered N7079P, was destroyed in an accident near Horse Creek, 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 30, 1983 · about 5:51 pm local time
- Place
- Horse Creek, Wyoming · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Piper 24-180
- Registration
- N7079P · no longer on the register · serial 24-2231
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT CRASHED IN ROLLING TERRAIN MINUS ABOUT 6 FT OF ITS LEFT WING. THIS PORTION OF WING WAS FOUND ABOUT 339 FT EAST OF THE MAIN WRECKAGE. EXAM REVEALED EVIDENCE THAT THE OUTBOARD PORTION OF THE WING SEPARATED IN AN UPWARD AND AFT DIRECTION INDICATIVE OF POSITIVE LOADING IN FLT. A TOXICOLOGY RPT ON THE DECEASED PLT AT FIRST REPTED AN ETHYL ALCOHOL CONTENT OF 0.38% IN A LIVER TISSUE FLUID SAMPLE. THIS WAS LATER CORRECTED TO .038%. THIS PLT HAD RECEIVED A WEATHER BRIEFINGS BY TELEPHONE BUT DID NOT FILE A FLT PLAN. AT 1121 THE ACFT DEPTED CHEYENNE & PROCEEDED NORTHWEST. AT 1146 THE PLT CALLED CHEYENNE APP CONTROL & SAID HE WAS IN CLOUDS & WANTED A VECTOR TO CHEYENNE', AFTER A BRIEF CONVERSATION THE PLT CONTACTED DENVER ARTCC WITH THE SAME MESSAGE EXCEPT FOR DESTINATION. HE WOULD NOW ACCEPT VECTORS TO ANY PLACE OUT OFTHE WX. AS SOON AS THE CONTROLLER GAVE A HEADING THE PLT RADIOED HE WAS IN TROUBLE & THERE WERE NO MORE TRANSMISSIONS. RADAR CONTACT WAS LOST AT 1151. A WITNESS SAID THE WX WAS OVERCAST AND 'I HEARD A HIGH PITCHED WHINE....& A LOUD BANG.'
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: 234 hours in all; 234 in this make and model; 12 in the last 90 days; 197 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 15, 1982
- Maximum gross weight: 2,550 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A1A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: K82 Smith Center KS at 5:20 pm
- Destination: PIN Pocatello ID
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Sky: overcast at 1,000 ft
- 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.