Amateur-built MUSTANG M-II accident near Hillsdale, Wyoming, July 11, 1998
On July 11, 1998 at about 11:15 am local time, a amateur-built MUSTANG M-II, registered N121GD, was substantially damaged in an accident near Hillsdale, Wyoming. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's inadequate visual lookout and his failure to maintain adequate clearance from obstacles. Factors were an intentional low altitude flight maneuver, wires, and low light conditions.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 11, 1998 · about 11:15 am local time
- Place
- Hillsdale, Wyoming · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built MUSTANG M-II MUSTANG M-
- Registration
- N121GD · registry record · serial MII-1217
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot said he heard a 'slight hesitation or miss' in the engine and increased power slightly. The engine gauges registered normal and the engine seemed to 'smooth out.' He sighted a road below and descended to assess its suitability for a possible forced landing in case the engine lost power. He felt the airplane strike something and shudder, then heard a loud rumbling noise. The airplane struck wires that crossed the road, impacted the roadway, then collided with a bridge.
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: 475 hours in all; 250 in this make and model; 15 in the last 90 days; 6 in the last 30 days; 450 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 250 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 1, 1997; 30 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,500 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E2D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 48V Erie CO at 10:40 am
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: dawn
- Wind: from 220° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 57°F (14°C), dew point 54°F (12°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:56 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.