Schweizer G-164B accident near Point of Rocks, Wyoming, March 13, 1996
On March 13, 1996 at about 7:00 pm local time, a Schweizer G-164B, registered N3632T, was destroyed in an accident near Point of Rocks, Wyoming. It was a ferry 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 pilot's inadvertent VFR flight into instrument meteorological conditions (IMC), and his failure to maintain aircraft control due to spatial disorientation. Factors relating to the accident were: the low ceiling and snow.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 13, 1996 · about 7:00 pm local time · cases in 1996
- Place
- Point of Rocks, Wyoming · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Schweizer G-164B
- Registration
- N3632T · registry record · serial 772B
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Ferry flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The accident pilot was flying in formation with two other airplanes on a ferry flight. All three airplanes were restricted category agricultural aircraft that were being ferried from Missouri to Idaho. The pilots were on a day-VFR cross-country flight in preparation for a season of agricultural spraying. They encountered a localized area of low ceilings, reduced visibility, and snow during a final leg of the flight, and they began to follow an interstate highway. One of the pilots reversed course and landed uneventfully at an airport. Another pilot landed on a highway. The pilot of the accident airplane strayed away from the interstate and entered instrument meteorological conditions (IMC). Subsequently, the accident airplane entered a steep descent and crashed in a nose-down attitude. There was evidence that the engine was operating at a high power setting, when the airplane crashed. The aircraft was not equipped for flight into instrument meteorological conditions (IMC). No preimpact mechanical malfunction or failure of the airplane or its engine was found.
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: 4,117 hours in all; 2,499 in this make and model; 23 in the last 90 days; 13 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,420 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 28, 1996; 10 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,000 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: P&W R-1340-AN1 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: LAR Laramie WY at 6:00 pm
- Destination: RKS Rock Springs WY
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 090° at 15 knots
- Visibility: 1 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 300 ft
- Temperature: 36°F (2°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.
Other NTSB records under N3632T the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N3632T on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Schweizer 1,187 aircraft on the register
- Engine: P&W R-1340-AN1 64 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Laramie Regional · departed from
- Southwest Wyoming Regional · bound for
- Accidents and incidents in Wyoming 778 since 1982 · 108 in the last ten years
- Wyoming 3,235 aircraft registered
- Other NTSB records under N3632T 3 records · the number may have belonged to another aircraft at the time
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/SEA96LA068.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.