The U.S. aircraft register, updated daily
Accidents · NTSB DEN88LA041 · Preliminary: the investigation is not finished

Piper PA-18-125 accident near Riverton, Wyoming, December 26, 1987

On December 26, 1987 at about 7:00 pm local time, a Piper PA-18-125, registered N211T, was substantially damaged in an accident near Riverton, Wyoming. It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 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 November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.

What the record shows

Date
December 26, 1987 · about 7:00 pm local time · cases in 1987
Place
Riverton, Wyoming · map
Type
Accident
Injuries
2 people were seriously injured.
Weather
visual conditions (good weather)
Aircraft
Piper PA-18-125 · all PA-18-125s on the register
Registration
N211T · registry record · serial 18-2325
Damage
Substantial damage
Flight
Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)

The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record

THE INSTRUCTOR PLT AND STUDENT WERE PRACTICING FORCED LANDINGS TO AN OPEN FIELD. THE INSTRUCTOR STATED THAT HE DESCENDED TO APPROX 50 TO 75 FT AGL OVER THE INTENDED LANDING AREA. HE INITIATED A GO AROUND, PULLED UP AND BANKED LEFT TO GO OVER POWERLINES. AT AN ALT OF APPROX 100 TO 150 FT THE ACFT STALLED AND THE INSTRUCTOR WAS UNABLE TO RECOVER BEFORE GROUND IMPACT.

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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
  • Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
  • Flight time: 393 hours in all; 61 in this make and model; 80 in the last 90 days; 194 as pilot in command
  • Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
  • Seat: frt

The aircraft

  • Airframe total time: 4,367 hours
  • Last inspection: annual inspection, March 25, 1987; 62 hours since
  • Maximum gross weight: 1,500 lb
  • Seats: 2
  • Landing gear: fixed
  • Engine: Lycoming O-290-D (piston); 0 hours total
  • Operator: Western Executive Air

The flight

  • Flight plan: none
  • Runway 0
  • A second pilot was aboard

Weather at the time

  • Light: daylight
  • Visibility: 20 statute miles
  • Sky: clear
  • Temperature: 16°F (-9°C), dew point 10°F (-12°C)
  • Altimeter: 30.00 inHg

Injuries

FatalSeriousMinorNone
Crew2

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.

Connections how this case links to the rest of the register

Aircraft
Place
Analytics

The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/DEN88LA041.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.