Piper PA-32-260 accident near Lander, Wyoming, August 5, 1986
On August 5, 1986 at about 1:52 am local time, a Piper PA-32-260, registered N3621W, was destroyed in an accident near Lander, Wyoming. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed and 4 people were 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
- August 5, 1986 · about 1:52 am local time
- Place
- Lander, Wyoming · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed and 4 people were seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-32-260 · all PA-32-260s on the register
- Registration
- N3621W · no longer on the register · serial 32-522
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE FLT DEPARTED LANDER, WYOMING, ARPT IN HIGH DENSITY ALTITUDE CONDITIONS AND IN AN OVER GROSS WEIGHT CONDITION. THE ACFT WAS OBSERVED FLYING LOW OVER RISING TERRAIN UNTIL IT IMPACTED THE GROUND. THE ACFT WAS DESTROYED IN A POST ACCIDENT FIRE AND TWO PAX WAS FATALLY INJURED.
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: 837 hours in all; 472 in this make and model; 64 in the last 90 days; 627 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,706 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, June 30, 1986; 10 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,400 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-540-E4B5 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: LND Lander WY at 1:30 am
- Destination: SLC Salt Lake City UT
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 260° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 6,000 ft
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 57°F (14°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 | 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.
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.