Cessna 172N accident near Afton, Wyoming, September 18, 1989
On September 18, 1989 at about 7:30 am local time, a Cessna 172N, registered N739XX, was destroyed in an accident near Afton, Wyoming. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE NON-INSTRUMENT RATED PILOT'S CONTINUED FLIGHT INTO INSTRUMENT METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS (IMC) AND HIS FAILURE TO MAINTAIN SUFFICIENT ALTITUDE TO CLEAR THE TERRAIN. FACTORS RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WERE: DARKNESS, ADVERSE WEATHER CONDITIONS, AND RISING/MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 18, 1989 · about 7:30 am local time
- Place
- Afton, Wyoming · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172N · all 172Ns on the register
- Registration
- N739XX · no longer on the register · serial 17270899
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AS THE NON-INSTRUMENT RATED PLT WAS RETURNING FROM A X-COUNTRY FLT AT NIGHT, THE ACFT CRASHED ON RISING TERRAIN. IMPACT OCCURRED AT AN ELEVATION OF ABOUT 10,300 FT, NEAR THE TOP OF A MTN RIDGE. NO PREIMPACT PART FAILURE OR MALFUNCTION WAS FOUND. AN INVESTIGATION REVEALED THERE WAS A FAST MOVING COLD FRONT IN THE AREA WITH TSTMS. ABOUT 30 MI SE AT ROCK SPRINGS, WY, THE WX WAS IN PART: 1300 FT BROKEN, 5 MI VIS WITH RAIN, WIND FM 280 DEG AT 17 GUSTING 22 KTS.
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; 75 in this make and model; 5 in the last 90 days; 88 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,275 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 1, 1989; 28 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,150 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-H2AD (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: France Flying Service, INC
The flight
- Departed from: PIH Pocatello ID at 6:05 am
- Destination: RWL Rawlins WY
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 280° at 17 knots, gusting 22
- Sky: broken clouds; not recorded
- Temperature: 48°F (9°C), dew point 46°F (8°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:58 am from RKS, 30 miles away
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.