Piper J3C accident near Cody, Wyoming, February 10, 1988
On February 10, 1988 at about 11:30 pm local time, a Piper J3C, registered N7468, was substantially damaged in an accident near Cody, Wyoming (Cecil Field). 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 October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 10, 1988 · about 11:30 pm local time
- Place
- Cody, Wyoming · Cecil Field · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper J3C · all J3Cs on the register
- Registration
- N7468 · registry record · serial 10249
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING AN ATTEMPTED LANDING AT A PRIVATE AIRSTRIP WHICH WAS COVERED BY 5-6 INCHES OF DRY POWDERED SNOW, THE ACFT TOUCHED DOWN. IT PITCHED FORWARD AND NOSED OVER. AFTER THE ACFT CAME TO REST, THE PILOT GOT OUT OF THE ACFT, EXAMINED THE LANDING GEAR, AND DISCOVERED THE LANDING WHEELS WERE FROZEN PREVENTING THE WHEELS FROM ROTATING. THE WHEELS HAD FROZEN DURING FLT WITH AN ACCUMULATION OF ICE AND SNOW. PRIOR TO THE FLT THE PLT HAD TAXIIED IN SNOW 6-8 INCHES IN DEPTH, ACCORDING TO THE PLT. DURING THE BEFORE TAKEOFF TAXIING IN SNOW THE PLT SAID HE USED THE BRAKES.
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: single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 3,091 hours in all; 515 in this make and model; 49 in the last 90 days; 3,077 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,088 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, May 1, 1988; 121 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,200 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental C85-8F (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: COD Cody WY at 11:15 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 9, 2,500 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 30 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 5,000 ft
- Temperature: 19°F (-7°C), dew point 0°F (-18°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.