Pilot Debrief

PIPER PA-28-180 near Wolf, WY — 2025-09-01

Investigation ongoingANC25FA098
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Date
2025-09-01
Location
Wolf, WY, USA
Aircraft
PIPER PA-28-180
Registration
N8307W
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
Fatal
Fatalities
1

Probable cause

NTSB has not published a probable cause for this accident yet. Preliminary reports describe what happened; the cause is determined later, often 12–24 months after the event.

NTSB narrative

On September 1, 2025 about 1612 mountain daylight time, a Piper PA-28-180 airplane, N8307W, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Wolf, Wyoming. The pilot and one passenger were seriously injured; one passenger was fatally injured, and one passenger sustained minor injuries. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. The airplane departed from the Sheridan County Airport (SHR), Sheridan, Wyoming at 1602 and was en route to the Boise Airport (BOI), Boise, Idaho. According to family members, the pilot was transporting his family back to their home in Boise and he planned to fly back to SHR that afternoon. About 1612, a brief emergency locator transmitter (ELT) signal was received from the accident airplane, but the signal stopped just after being received. Shortly thereafter, a passenger aboard the accident airplane called local law enforcement officials to alert them of the accident. A search and rescue helicopter was launched and subsequently located the wreckage about 16 miles west of the Sheridan County Airport in an area of mountainous, tree covered terrain. On September 3, an investigator from the National Transportation Safety Board's (NTSB) Alaska Regional Office traveled to the accident site. Once on scene, the NTSB investigator documented the airplane wreckage before recovery efforts began. An initial examination of the airplane wreckage revealed that all the airplane’s components were found at the accident site. The engine data monitor and a portable GPS unit were recovered for data download. Given the pilot and passenger’s serious injuries sustained in the accident, an NTSB interview is pending.

Preliminary NTSB coding

  • Controlled flight into terr/obj (CFIT) · Enroute-climb to cruise
View NTSB preliminary report

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