Piper PA-18-150 accident near Encampment, Wyoming, September 24, 1983
On September 24, 1983 at about 9:15 pm local time, a Piper PA-18-150, registered N3770P, was destroyed in an accident near Encampment, Wyoming. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. 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
- September 24, 1983 · about 9:15 pm local time
- Place
- Encampment, Wyoming · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-18-150 · all PA-18-150s on the register
- Registration
- N3770P · registry record · serial 18-4654
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
A LOW PASS WAS MADE OVER A FISHING POND SO THE FRONT SEAT PLT COULD WAVE AT HIS FATHER. ACCORDING TO THE PLT'S FATHER, THE PASS WAS BELOW THE LEVEL OF THE TREE TOPS. IN ATTEMPTING TO PULL UP SHARPLY TO AVOID THE TREES, THE ACFT WAS BANKED STEEPLY AND STALLED. THE ACFT THEN HIT AN UNOCCUPPIED HOUSE AND CRASHED INTO A TREE. THE REAR SEAT PLT WAS THE OWNER-OPERATOR OF THE ACFT. THE FRONT SEAT PLT HAD ABOUT 2200 HRS TOTAL FLT TIME & A 'CONSIDERABLE AMOUT OF TIME' IN A PA-18-150 SINCE HE WAS A FORMER ALASKA BUSH PLT. THE FRONT SEAT PLT IS PRESUMED TO HAVE BEEN AT THE CONTROLS.
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: multi-engine land
- Flight time: 300 hours in all; 300 in this make and model; 240 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rear
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 1,750 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-A2A (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: SAA Saratoga WY at 8:15 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 240° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 4,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 41°F (5°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:54 pm from RWL, 48 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
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.