Piper PA-18-125 accident near Camp Crook, South Dakota, October 24, 1982
On October 24, 1982, a Piper PA-18-125, registered N1190A, was destroyed in an accident near Camp Crook, South Dakota (Tennant Ranch airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured; 1 other was unhurt. 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
- October 24, 1982
- Place
- Camp Crook, South Dakota · Tennant Ranch · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured; 1 other was unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-18-125 · all PA-18-125s on the register
- Registration
- N1190A · no longer on the register · serial 18805
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
PILOT MAKING LOW ALTUTUDE TURNS FOUND CONTROLS JAMMED AND COLLIDED LEFT WING LOW IN DESCENT WITH BALES OF HAY. FUSELAGE WAS FOUND TO CONTAIN SPENT AND LIVE SHOTGUN SHELLS UNDER THE FLOOR. AILERON HAD A FIRING PIN FROM A SHOTGUN LODGED IN A PULLEY. THE PILOT HAD BEEN AN AERIAL HUNTER FOR YEARS.
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: 2,561 hours in all; 2,500 in this make and model; 60 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,626 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 178 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,500 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-290-D (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire in flight and on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: Camp Crook SD at 6:00 pm
- Destination: Camp Crook SD
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Wind: from 150° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 25,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 138°F (59°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:50 pm from RAP, 134 miles away
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.