Piper PA-28R-201T accident near Arvada, Wyoming, December 15, 1988
On December 15, 1988 at about 12:50 pm local time, a Piper PA-28R-201T, registered N3110Q, was destroyed in an accident near Arvada, 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
- December 15, 1988 · about 12:50 pm local time
- Place
- Arvada, Wyoming · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28R-201T PA-28R-201 · all PA-28R-201Ts on the register
- Registration
- N3110Q · registry record · serial 28R-7703092
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT ENTERED CLOUDS AND SHORTLY THEREAFTER, CRASHED NEAR THE CITY OF ARVADA, WY. THE FLIGHT CONSISTED OF TWO AIRCRAFT, FLYING TOGETHER IN LOOSE FORMATION, AT NIGHT, UNDER A LAYER OF CLOUDS. THE PLT OF THE LEAD ACFT ESTIMATED THAT ABOUT 2 MIN ELAPSED WHEN HE HEARD THE PLT OF N3110Q SHOUT OUT AN EXPLETIVE. THAT WAS THE LAST TRANSMISSION HEARD. AN AIR SEARCH WAS CONDUCTED AND THE WRECKAGE WAS LOCATED ALONGSIDE THE POWER RIVER. EXAMINATION OF THE AIRCRAFT DISCLOSED NO MECHANICAL FAILURES OR MALFUNCTIONS. THE STABILATOR HALVES AND THE LEFT WING WERE FOUND 266 YARDS WEST OF THE WRECKAGE. NO CORROSION OR FATIGUE FAILURES WERE NOTED.
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: 273 hours in all; 107 in this make and model; 45 in the last 90 days; 16 in the last 30 days; 202 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,833 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 8, 1988; 71 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,900 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TSIO-360-F2 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: GCC Gillette WY at 12:30 pm
- Destination: BIL Billings MT
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: scat
- Temperature: 7°F (-14°C), dew point 1°F (-17°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:51 am from SHR, 35 miles away
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.