Cessna 425 accident near Big Piney, Wyoming, December 24, 1983
On December 24, 1983 at about 7:00 pm local time, a Cessna 425, registered N6884G, was substantially damaged in an accident near Big Piney, Wyoming (Big Piney Municipal airport). It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 6 people were on board or involved. 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
- December 24, 1983 · about 7:00 pm local time
- Place
- Big Piney, Wyoming · Big Piney Municipal · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 6 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 425 · all 425s on the register
- Registration
- N6884G · no longer on the register · serial 425-0136
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
PRIOR TO DEPARTURE THE PLT TELEPHONED THE FBO AT BIG PINEY ARPT. HE WAS ADVISED OF THE POOR WX CONDITIONS THAT EXISTED AT THE ARPT & WAS ALSO ADVISED NOT TO LAND AT THE ARPT. THE ACFT WAS LATER OBSERVED TO LAND AT BIG PINEY ARPT, TOUCH DOWN ON THE SNOW COVERED RWY 31 & ABRUPTLY TURN 90 DEG LEFT INTO A 3-FT HIGH SNOWBANK. THE PLT SAID THAT HE ENCOUNTERED A WHITEOUT CONDITION WHICH MADE IT IMPOSSIBLE TO DISTINGUISH FEATURES.
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: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 5,130 hours in all; 37 in this make and model; 155 in the last 90 days; 4,940 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 320 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, September 29, 1983; 25 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 6,800 lb
- Seats: 12
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W PT6A-112 (turboprop); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SLC Salt Lake City UT at 6:30 pm
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 31, 6,800 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 9 knots
- Visibility: 2 statute miles
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Observation at 6:55 pm from RKS
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 5 |
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.