Cessna 180 accident near Upton, Wyoming, May 27, 1987
On May 27, 1987 at about 8:00 pm local time, a Cessna 180, registered N2933C, was substantially damaged in an accident near Upton, Wyoming (Upton airport). It was a personal 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 November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 27, 1987 · about 8:00 pm local time · cases in 1987
- Place
- Upton, Wyoming · Upton · cases near this airport · map
- 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
- N2933C · registry record · serial 30833
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT REPORTED COMPLETING A CROSS WIND LANDING WITH STRONG GUSTS. WHILE TAXIING FROM LANDING, THE WIND LIFTED THE ACFT FROM THE RIGHT AND IT NOSED OVER. THE RWY USED WAS 13, AND THE FBO REPORTED WINDS AS 210 DEGREES AT 20 KNOTS, GUSTING TO 40 KNOTS.
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: 144 hours in all; 44 in this make and model; 31 in the last 90 days; 105 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,042 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 26, 1986
- Maximum gross weight: 2,550 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-J11 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: ECS Newcastle WY at 7:38 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 13, 3,850 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 210° at 20 knots, gusting 40
- Visibility: 30 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 8,000 ft
- Temperature: 64°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 N2933C the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N2933C on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Cessna 180 Skywagon 2,604 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Cessna 72,685 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Continental O-470-J11 12,779 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Upton Municipal · nearest airport
- Mondell Field · departed from
- Accidents and incidents in Wyoming 778 since 1982 · 109 in the last ten years
- Wyoming 3,236 aircraft registered
- Other NTSB records under N2933C 1 records · the number may have belonged to another aircraft at the time
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/DEN87LA136.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.