Cessna 172RG accident near Laramie, Wyoming, November 1, 1989
On November 1, 1989, a Cessna 172RG, registered N4825V, was destroyed in an accident near Laramie, Wyoming (General Brees Field). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE LOSS OF CONTROL OF THE AIRPLANE IN INSTRUMENT METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS AFTER THE PILOT BECAME SPATIALLY DISORIENTED. CONTRIBUTING TO THE ACCIDENT WAS THE FAILURE OF THE VACUUM SYSTEM WHICH RENDERED THE VACUUM/GYRO INSTRUMENTS INOPERATIVE. ALSO CONTRIBUTING TO THIS FAILURE WAS THE IMPROPER INSTALLATION OF THE VACUUM PUMP BY UNKNOWN PERSON(S).
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 1, 1989
- Place
- Laramie, Wyoming · General Brees Field · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172RG · all 172RGs on the register
- Registration
- N4825V · no longer on the register · serial 172RG00392
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT RECEIVED A WEATHER BRIEFING FOR A VFR FLT. THE BRIEFING INDICATED IFR WEATHER ALONG THE INTENDED ROUTE OF FLIGHT. THE PLT STATED HE WAS CONDUCTING THE FLT VFR BECAUSE HE 'DID NOT TRUST HIS INSTRUMENTS.' APPROXIMATELY ONE HOUR AFTER DEPARTURE FROM LARAMIE, WY, THE PLT REQUESTED THE LARAMIE WEATHER IN AN ATTEMPT TO RETURN. THE PLT RADIOED HE LOST HIS GYROS AND DECLARED AN EMERGENCY. THE FSS RECEIVED A SPECIAL VFR CLEARANCE DUE TO BELOW VFR MINIMUM WEATHER, BUT WAS UNABLE TO ISSUE IT DUE TO LOST RADIO COMMUNICATIONS. POST-ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION REVEALED THE VACUUM PUMP HAD BEEN INSTALLED WITHOUT THE SHEAR SHAFT COUPLING. THE AIRFRAME AND ENGINE LOGBOOKS DID NOT IDENTIFY PREVIOUS WORK PERFORMED OR PERSON(S) WHO MAY HAVE WORKED ON THE PUMP.
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 multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 14,350 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 9, 1988
- Maximum gross weight: 2,658 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-F1A6 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: LAR at 11:15 pm
- Destination: RWL Rawlins WY
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Wind: from 050° at 10 knots
- Sky: not recorded
- Temperature: 23°F (-5°C), dew point 21°F (-6°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.