Piper PA-34-220T accident near Cheyenne, Wyoming, April 5, 1989
On April 5, 1989 at about 11:40 am local time, a Piper PA-34-220T, registered N83864, was substantially damaged in an accident near Cheyenne, Wyoming (Cheyenne Municipal airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 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
FAILURE OF THE PILOT-IN-COMMAND TO PROPERLY RECOVER FROM A BOUNCED LANDING.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 5, 1989 · about 11:40 am local time
- Place
- Cheyenne, Wyoming · Cheyenne Municipal · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-34-220T · all PA-34-220Ts on the register
- Registration
- N83864 · no longer on the register · serial 348133091
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE AIRPLANE WAS BEING OPERATED UNDER 14 CFR 135 ON A NIGHT CARGO FLT. THE PLT APPROACHED THE ARPT FROM THE SOUTH AND DECIDED TO LAND ON RUNWAY 26. HE ACTIVATED THE PLT CONTROLLED RUNWAY LIGHTS TO THE HIGHEST INTENSITY. THE PLT RETARDED THE THROTTLES OVER THE RUNWAY AND THE AIRPLANE BOUNCED WHEN IT TOUCHED DOWN. THE AIRPLANE BOUNCED A SECOND TIME AND TWO OF THE THREE LANDING GEAR COLLAPSED ON TOUCHDOWN.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,513 hours in all; 142 in this make and model; 170 in the last 90 days; 82 in the last 30 days; 1,114 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,955 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 24, 1989; 66 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,750 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TSIO-360B (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: DEN Denver CO at 12:00 pm
- Destination: CYS
- Runway 26, 9,200 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, bright
- Wind: from 270° at 10 knots, gusting 1
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 30°F (-1°C), dew point 21°F (-6°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:53 am from CYS
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.