N314FRCessna 182S · 1998

On March 21, 2023, about 1601 mountain daylight time (MDT), a Cessna 182S, N314FR, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Alcova, Wyoming. The pilot was fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 aerial observation flight.

The operator reported that the pilot departed Evanston-Uinta County Airport - Burns Field (EVW) Evanston, Wyoming, for an aerial pipeline patrol flight. The operator's flight tracking data showed the airplane's flight track about 30 miles south of Casper, Wyoming, near the accident location in mountainous terrain. The flight track showed no further movement from the accident area and the operator notified Flight Service of a possible mishap. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) subsequently issued an Alert Notice (ALNOT).

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 ft 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 did not encounter any significant up or down drafts, but he stated that he would not have been surprised if other pilots had.

Recorded automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast (ADS-B) data showed that the accident airplane overflew Casper at 15:40:48 and turned to a southwest heading for about 30 miles until data was lost at 16:00:44, about 950 ft northwest of the accident site, as seen in Figure 1.

The airplane wreckage was located by a search and rescue air unit later that evening.

Figure 1. View of accident airplane ADS-B flight track data

The operator reported that the accident pilot was hired in May of 2021 and had flown the pipeline route multiple times over the previous 11 months. The pilot had accrued about 2 years of low-level pipeline patrol in similar mountainous terrain.

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 KCPR Automated Surface Observing Systems (ASOS) around the accident time identified VFR conditions with winds gusting as high as 31 kts.

A High-Resolution Rapid Refresh (HRRR) sounding for the accident site indicated the possibility of LLWS and light clear air turbulence (CAT) between the surface and 500 ft agl.

Weather forecast information for the accident time indicated that AIRMET Tango was valid for the accident site area at the accident time. AIRMET Tango forecast moderate turbulence below 16,000 ft mean sea level (msl). In addition, archived GTG information indicated light to moderate turbulence conditions between 500 and 1,000 ft agl.

The Graphical Forecasts for Aviation (GFA) products issued by the Aviation Weather Center (AWC) before the accident flight indicated visual flight rules (VFR) conditions with a westerly wind of 10 to 15 kts gusting to 25 kts.

A search of archived information indicated that the accident 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 accident 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 CPR at an elevation of about 6,990 ft msl. The wreckage came to rest upright and was oriented along a northeast heading on the ridgeline/eastern slope, near the top of the mountain.

Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed no evidence of any preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation.

The FAA’s Airplane Flying Handbook (FAA-H-8083-3C) describes some environmental factors associated with mountain flying. The handbook states, in part, the following:

Turbulence, or a large variation in wind velocity over a short distance, can cause upset and Loss of control in-flight (LOC-I.) Maintain awareness of conditions that can lead to various types of turbulence, such as clear air turbulence, mountain waves, wind shear, and thunderstorms or microbursts. In addition to environmentally-induced turbulence, wake turbulence from other aircraft can lead to upset and LOC-I.

The Airplane Flying Handbook defines wind shear as a sudden, drastic shift in wind speed, direction, or both that may occur in the horizontal or vertical plane.

An autopsy of the pilot was performed by the Natrona County Coroner's Office, Evansville, Wyoming, which listed the cause of death as "massive blunt force injuries."

Toxicology testing performed at the FAA Forensic Sciences Laboratory was negative for all drugs tested.

The pilot departed on a local sightseeing flight. About 5 miles south of the departure airport and at an altitude of at least 1,000 feet above the terrain, the airplane encountered a strong downdraft. The airplane collided with the tops of several trees before the pilot could arrest the descent. The pilot was able to regain control of the airplane and return to the departure airport without further incident. The pilot added there were no preimpact problems with the airplane prior to the collision with the trees. Examination of the airplane revealed substantial damage to the horizontal stabilizer and elevator as a result of the collision with the tree tops.