Mooney M20B accident near Buffalo, Wyoming, October 23, 1986
On October 23, 1986 at about 3:00 am local time, a Mooney M20B, registered N74739, was destroyed in an accident near Buffalo, Wyoming. It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed and 1 person was seriously injured. 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
- October 23, 1986 · about 3:00 am local time
- Place
- Buffalo, Wyoming · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed and 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Mooney M20B · all M20Bs on the register
- Registration
- N74739 · no longer on the register · serial 1739
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AT APRX 1720 MDT, TOWER PSNL AT THE DEP ARPT RECEIVED A PHONE CALL FROM THE PLT. HE SAID HE WISHED TO DEPART WITH AN INOP 2-WAY RADIO. HE WAS ADVISED THAT IMC PREVAILED & THAT A RADIO WOULD BE REQUIRED TO DEPART WITH AN IFR OR SPECIAL VFR CLNC. AT 1907 (AFTER OBTAINING A PORTABLE 2-WAY RADIO) THE NON-INSTRUMENT RATED PLT REQUESTED & RECEIVED CLNC FOR A SPECIAL VFR DEPARTURE. HE TOOK OFF WITH A PAX ABOARD, & AT 1917, RPRTD CLEAR OF THE CONTROL ZONE. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE ACFT CRASHED IN MTNS AT AN ELEV OF ABOUT 9500'. INITIAL IMPACT WAS WITH TREES ON RISING TERRAIN AS THE ACFT WAS IN WINGSLVL FLT. THE SURVIVING PAX RPRTD ICE ON THE WINGS & SAID THE ENG WAS RUNNING ROUGH. ALSO, HE SAID THEY WERE FLYING IN SNOW, & WHEN THE PLT PULLED THE CARB HEAT CTL, IT CAME OUT IN HIS HAND; THE CABLE WAS FND BROKEN NR THE BUTTERFLY VLV & ICE & SNOW WERE FND IN THE CARB AIR INTAKE OPENING. CHECKS OF THE PLT'S BLOOD & URINE SHOWED ALCOHOL LVLS OF 0.031% & 0.034%, RESPECTIVELY. COCAINE, METHYL ECGONINE & METHAMPHETAMINE WERE DETECTED IN HIS URINE, BUT NONE FND IN HIS BLOOD.
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: 3,090 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,192 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 2,450 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming O-360 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: GCC Gillette WY at 1:12 am
- Destination: BIL Billings MT
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.