Cessna 180 accident near Cheyenne, Wyoming, August 8, 1983
On August 8, 1983 at about 8:23 pm local time, a Cessna 180, registered N2590K, was substantially damaged in an accident near Cheyenne, Wyoming (Cheyenne airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved. 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 November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 8, 1983 · about 8:23 pm local time · cases in 1983
- Place
- Cheyenne, Wyoming · Cheyenne · cases near this airport
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 180 · all 180s on the register
- Registration
- N2590K · registry record · serial 18053006
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT GROUNDLOOPED DURING TAKEOFF. THE PLT STATED THAT HE INCORRECTLY ASSUMED A 14 KT HEADWIND WHEN THE TOWER GAVE THE 'WINDS LIGHT AT FOURTEEN' AFTER PREVIOUSLY ASSIGNING RWY LIGHT. AFTER APPLYING POWER HE REALIZED THAT HE HAD A X-WIND AND CUT THE POWER. THE TAIL CAME AROUND AND THE LEFT WHEEL BROKE.
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: 295 hours in all; 18 in this make and model; 18 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,627 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 9, 1983; 45 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,790 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-420-4 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Destination: EKO Elko NV
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 8, 9,199 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 140° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 5,000 ft
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 54°F (12°C)
- Altimeter: 31.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:00 pm from CYS
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
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.
Other NTSB records under N2590K the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N2590K on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Cessna 180 Skywagon 2,604 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Cessna 72,678 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Continental O-420-4 · as the NTSB recorded it
- Cheyenne Rgnl/Jerry Olson Field · nearest airport
- Elko Regional · bound for
- Accidents and incidents in Wyoming 778 since 1982 · 108 in the last ten years
- Wyoming 3,232 aircraft registered
- Other NTSB records under N2590K 1 records · the number may have belonged to another aircraft at the time
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/DEN83LA186.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.