Company officials told investigators the pilot departed Evanston-Uinta County Airport-Burns Field (KEVW) in Evanston, Wyoming, for an aerial pipeline patrol flight.
Flight tracking data showed the Cessna 182’s flight track about 30 miles south of Casper, Wyoming, near the accident location in mountainous terrain. When the flight track showed no further movement from that area, company officials notified Flight Service of a possible mishap. The FAA subsequently issued an Alert Notice.
A company pilot reported that he received an “SOS alert” message about the possible downed airplane and proceeded to the area. He and another company pilot arrived at the coordinates provided and conducted a search for the plane. He flew over the area for about an hour before having to land for fuel.
After he departed the area, the other pilot located the airplane. During his flight he had been flying at approximately 1,000 feet AGL and noted that it was “fairly windy” and gusty that day. He also experienced some areas of moderate and mountain wave turbulence.
It had been bumpy most of the day, but north of Laramie, Wyoming, it seemed to worsen, he told investigators. He did not encounter any significant up or down drafts, but he stated that he would not have been surprised if other pilots had.
The airplane wreckage was located by a search and rescue air unit later that evening.
The accident site was located north of a cold front, on the cool side of the front. Fronts can act as lifting mechanisms to help produce clouds and precipitation if sufficient moisture is present. No cloud cover was indicated over the accident site, with a west-east oriented cumulus cloud band in between the accident site and KCPR.
The observations from the Casper/Natrona County International Airport (KCPR) Automated Surface Observing Systems (ASOS) around the time of the accident identified VFR conditions with winds gusting as high as 31 knots.
Weather forecast information for the time of the accident indicated that AIRMET Tango was valid for the area. AIRMET Tango forecast moderate turbulence below 16,000 feet mean sea level (MSL). In addition, archived information indicated light to moderate turbulence conditions between 500 and 1,000 feet AGL
A search of archived information indicated the pilot did not request weather information from Leidos Flight Service. A search of the ForeFlight database did not indicate any flights plans or weather briefings requested by the pilot on the day of the accident. It is unknown what weather information, if any, the pilot checked or received before departure and through the time of the accident.
Examination of the accident site revealed that the airplane impacted mountainous terrain about 30 miles southwest of KCPR at an elevation of about 6,990 feet MSL.
Probable Cause: The airplane’s encounter with low level wind shear associated with moderate turbulence, which resulted in a loss of airplane control.
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This March 2023 accident report is provided by the National Transportation Safety Board. Published as an educational tool, it is intended to help pilots learn from the misfortunes of others.
Encountered MANY a Mountain Wave North of Laramie, Wyoming while flying new Cessna 177 Cardinal RG’s, 182 Skykanes and 210 Centurions from the Pawnee Plant at Wichita out to the Skyways Zone in Troudale, Oregon, especially on the lee side of Elk Mountain. The rule was always fly high.