Cessna 172 accident near Thermopolis, Wyoming, June 3, 1984
On June 3, 1984 at about 3:30 pm local time, a Cessna 172, registered N12863, was destroyed in an accident near Thermopolis, Wyoming (Hot Springs CO. Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. 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
- June 3, 1984 · about 3:30 pm local time
- Place
- Thermopolis, Wyoming · Hot Springs CO. Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172 · all 172s on the register
- Registration
- N12863 · no longer on the register · serial 17262322
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT WENT ON A X-COUNTRY WITHOUT THE PROPER ENDORSEMENT BY HIS INSTRUCTOR. DURING THE LANDING THE ACFT BOUNCED AND STALLED IN WHAT APPEARED TO BE AN ATTEMPT TO RECOVER OR GO-AROUND. THE ACFT ENTERED A LEFT SPIN AND CRASHED NOSE DOWN.
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: student
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 66 hours in all; 66 in this make and model; 10 in the last 90 days; 3 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (expired)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,937 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, June 15, 1983
- Maximum gross weight: 2,400 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E2D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: CYS Cheyenne WY at 1:30 pm
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 19, 4,779 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 40 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 12,000 ft; scat at 5,000 ft
- Temperature: 59°F (15°C), dew point 41°F (5°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:50 pm from WRL, 30 miles away
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.