Amateur-built BUSHBY MUSTANG accident near Casper, Wyoming, September 21, 1986
On September 21, 1986 at about 4:15 pm local time, a amateur-built BUSHBY MUSTANG, registered N117RD, was destroyed in an accident near Casper, Wyoming. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. 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
- September 21, 1986 · about 4:15 pm local time
- Place
- Casper, Wyoming · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built BUSHBY MUSTANG BUSHBY MUS
- Registration
- N117RD · no longer on the register · serial M-1-1235
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE HOMEBUILT ACFT CRASHED DURING LOW ALT MANEUVERS FROM ABOUT 150 FT AGL. A WITNESS WHO HELPED BUILD THE ACFT WAS TAKING PICTURES AND RECORDING DATA OF THE FLT AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT. THIS WITNESS STATED THAT THE PLT ATTEMPTED AN AILERON ROLL. THE FIRST HALF OF THE ROLL WAS NORMAL BUT WHILE THE ACFT WAS INVERTED THE NOSE DROPPED BELOW THE HORIZON. THE ACFT CONTINUED TO ROLL WHILE TURNING ABOUT 30 DEGREES TO THE RIGHT BEFORE GROUND IMPACT. THE PLT HAD ABOUT 50 HOURS IN THIS MODEL OF ACFT OF WHICH LESS THAN 20 HRS WAS AEROBATIC EXPERIENCE.
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: 448 hours in all; 49 in this make and model; 38 in the last 90 days; 20 in the last 30 days; 337 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 49 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 1,000 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-A2A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: CPR Casper WY
- Destination: CPR Casper WY
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 010° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 60 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 52°F (11°C), dew point 45°F (7°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
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.