Piper PA-22 N8731C
3 September 1997 · Saratoga, Wyoming, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 3 September 1997 at about 14:35 local time, a Piper PA-22 registered N8731C was involved in an accident near Saratoga, Wyoming, United States. 2 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 14:35
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Saratoga, Wyoming, United States
- Nearest airport
- Shively Airport (SAA)
- Coordinates
- 41.4506, -106.8093
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-22
- Registration
- N8731C
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Unknown → Sidney
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- FTW97LA337
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to consult airplane performance data based upon the weather conditions that prevailed. Factors were terrain induced turbulence and high density altitude.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The pilot stated he took off on runway 23 at Saratoga, Wyoming, but the airplane would not climb. The airplane began descending and impacted terrain approximately one mile west of the airport. The pilot attributed the descent to 'winds spilling over the ridge.' At the time of the accident, recorded winds at Laramie, Wyoming (located 37 miles north-northwest of Saratoga) were from 220 degrees at 12 knots. The altimeter setting was 30.47 inches of mercury, and the temperature was 79 degrees F. Saratoga Airport is situated at an elevation of 6,987 feet msl (above mean sea level). Based on this meteorological information, density altitude at Saratoga was computed to be approximately 9,113 feet msl. The airplane manufacturer calculated that the airplane could achieve a 450 feet per minute rate of climb.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Piper PA-22 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 Oct 1997 | Piper PA-22-160 | Sterling, Alaska, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 16 Oct 1997 | Piper PA-22-150 | Challis, Idaho, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 28 Sep 1997 | Piper PA-22-160 | Belleview, Florida, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 22 Nov 1997 | Piper PA-22-150 | Newberg, Oregon, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 26 Apr 1997 | Piper PA-22-150 | Holland, Michigan, United States | - | Fatal | 2 |
| 17 Aug 1997 | Piper PA-22-20 | Villa Rica, Georgia, United States | - | No injuries | - |
All 3,095 records for this type
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 26 Mar 1997 | Cessna 172P | Burlington, Wyoming, United States | Brentco Aerial Patrol, Inc. | Fatal | 1 |
| 15 Aug 1997 | Waco KNF | Wamsutter, Wyoming, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 18 Aug 1997 | Cessna 175 | Rock Springs, Wyoming, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 26 Aug 1997 | Fairchild Heli-Porter PC6/B2-H2 | Gillette, Wyoming, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 14 Sep 1997 | As+ AC-4B | Sundance, Wyoming, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 2 Feb 1997 | Piper PA-18-150 | Moorcroft, Wyoming, United States | - | No injuries | - |