Aviat A-1C-200 accident near Grover, Wyoming, August 10, 2020
On August 10, 2020 at about 7:18 pm local time, a 2018 Aviat A-1C-200, registered N298WY, was substantially damaged in an accident during maneuvering near Grover, Wyoming. It was a flight test 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 inability to regain airplane control after a pilot-induced spin conducted during a flight test, which resulted in a collision with terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 10, 2020 · about 7:18 pm local time · cases in 2020
- Place
- Grover, Wyoming · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Aviat A-1C-200 Husky, built 2018
- Registration
- N298WY · registry record · serial 3298
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight test · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot in the experimental test airplane reported that the purpose of the flight was to conduct spin testing, in support of future airplane type certification. Prior to the accident, he had completed seven power on test spins in which all spins exhibited no unusual or flat tendency. During the accident flight, the test condition called for a spin from level flight, with flaps up, and aft center of gravity, heavy weight, to the left, with aileron opposite of the turn. After one 360o rotation, the nose was much higher above the horizon than prior test conditions. The pilot applied corrective controls with no effect on any axis. The pilot was not able to recover the airplane from the induced spin and subsequently disembarked the airplane about 10,180 ft mean sea level. The pilot deployed his emergency parachute and during his descent he noted that the airplane was in a flat spin to ground impact. The airplane impacted the ground and sustained substantial damage to both wings and the fuselage. The pilot landed hard and sustained serious compression fractures in L1 and L2. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
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
What happened, in order
- Aerodynamic stall/spin during maneuvering defining event
- Loss of control in flight during maneuvering
The NTSB's findings
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Directional control › Attain/maintain not possible
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: balloon
- Flight time: 5,300 hours in all; 34 in this make and model; 65 in the last 90 days; 45 in the last 30 days; 3,850 as pilot in command; 700 on instruments
- Last flight review: December 23, 2019
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 73.5 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, July 29, 2020
- Maximum gross weight: 2,250 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-C3B6 (piston); 73 hours total
- Operator: Aviat Aircraft Inc
The flight
- Departed from: AFO Afton WY at 6:16 pm
- Destination: AFO Afton WY
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 320° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 50°F (10°C)
- Altimeter: 30.20 inHg
- Observation at 6:15 pm from KAFO, 5 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Photographs from the investigation 1 picture from the NTSB's docket, as the NTSB released them
The NTSB's photographs with the NTSB's captions, at screen size. Open a picture to see it full size or to report one that should not be shown.
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
3 documents, released by the NTSB on July 12, 2021. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | 6120_1 Complete Narrative | PDF, 4 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Photo | PDF, 1 page · our copy | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N298WY on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-C3B6 8,561 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Afton Lincoln County/General Boyd L Eddins Field · departed from
- Accidents and incidents in Wyoming 778 since 1982 · 108 in the last ten years
- Wyoming 3,235 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/WPR20CA266.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.