Cessna 180 accident near Mule Creek Jct, Wyoming, August 8, 1985
On August 8, 1985 at about 2:00 pm local time, a Cessna 180, registered N5163E, was destroyed in an accident near Mule Creek Jct, Wyoming. It was an aerial observation flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was 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 October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 8, 1985 · about 2:00 pm local time
- Place
- Mule Creek Jct, Wyoming
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 180 · all 180s on the register
- Registration
- N5163E · no longer on the register · serial 50463
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Aerial observation flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT WAS SPOTTING CATTLE DURING A CATTLE HERDING OPERATION. HE SAW 2 COWS WITH CALVES IN A COVE OF A CANYON THAT PERSONNEL ON THE GROUND WERE LEAVING BEHIND. THE PLT STATED THAT HE MADE A SHARP TURN & FLEW OVER THE COWS TO SHOW THEIR LOCATION TO RIDERS ON THE GROUND. HE THEN ENTERED A CLIMB & STARTED A TURN TO LEAVE WHEN THE ACFT 'JUST DROPPED.' THE PLT STATED THAT AS HE WAS RECOVERING, 'THE AIRPLANE FLATTENED OUT JUST OFF THE GROUND.' THE LEFT WING THEN DROPPED & CONTACTED THE GROUND & THE ACFT CARTWHEELED INTO A CANYON & CAME TO REST UPSIDE DOWN. THE PLT ESCAPED INJURY, BUT A DOG THAT WAS ABOARD WAS KILLED. ELEVATION OF THE CRASH SITE WAS ABOUT 4500 FT.
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: 2,160 hours in all; 2,110 in this make and model; 68 in the last 90 days; 2,060 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (expired)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 3, 1984; 2,500 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,800 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-K (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Stoddard Ranch WY
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 60 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.
Other NTSB records under N5163E the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.