Piper PA-11 accident near Lander, Wyoming, May 8, 1999
On May 8, 1999 at about 12:45 pm local time, a Piper PA-11, registered N4582M, was destroyed in an accident near Lander, Wyoming. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot inadvertently stalling the airplane. Factors were his abrupt maneuvering of the airplane to avoid a powerline, and his attention being diverted.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 8, 1999 · about 12:45 pm local time
- Place
- Lander, Wyoming · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-11 · all PA-11s on the register
- Registration
- N4582M · no longer on the register · serial 11-85
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot and his passenger took off from Lander, Wyoming, and were en route to a ranch in the Bison Basin area, near Jeffrey City, Wyoming, to hunt coyotes. There is no record that the pilot received a weather briefing or filed a flight plan. The airplane impacted a ravine in open, rolling range land in a near vertical attitude and in close proximity to powerlines. The powerlines had not been severed or stretched, and there was no evidence of electrical arcing or wire transfer marks on the airplane. A shotgun, with an open breech and empty chambers, was recovered from the rear of the airplane. It had not been discharged. The passenger was wearing heavy winter mittens.
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
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 12, 1992; 277 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,220 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235-C (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: LND WY at 12:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 240° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 6,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 48°F (9°C), dew point 34°F (1°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 12:36 pm from LND
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.