On April 7, 2008, a Glasair Glasair III was involved in an aviation accident near Cheyenne, WY. One person was killed. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The pilot's improper decision to continue VFR flight into instrument meteorological weather conditions. Contributing to the accident were low ceilings, snow and whiteout conditions. This summary draws on records from NTSB; 1 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.
An amateur-built Glasair III, C-GGTM, crashed near Cheyenne, Wyoming, on April 7, 2008, while maneuvering in low-visibility conditions. The sole occupant, a private pilot, was killed.
Accident Overview and Flight Details On April 7, 2008, at approximately 1530 mountain daylight time, an amateur-built Glasair III airplane, registration C-GGTM, sustained substantial damage after impacting terrain near Cheyenne, Wyoming, while maneuvering. The private pilot, who was the sole occupant, was killed in the accident. The aircraft was registered to and operated by the pilot under 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91. The personal cross-country flight departed from South Big Horn County Airport (GEY) in Greybull, Wyoming, at about 1415, with an intended destination of Larned-Pawnee County Airport (LQR) near Larned, Kansas. No flight plan was filed for the trip. Visual meteorological conditions were reported at the nearest official weather station, while instrument meteorological conditions prevailed in the accident area. A witness near the site reported hearing the aircraft fly overhead at low altitude, followed by a muffled thud. The witness later found the wreckage and contacted emergency services, noting visibility of approximately 100 to 150 feet with near whiteout conditions due to heavy falling snow. Radar data from the Denver Air Route Traffic Control Center (ARTCC) showed initial contact about 21 miles northeast of Worland, Wyoming, at 14,900 feet mean sea level at 1429:10. The aircraft maintained a southeasterly course at 15,500 feet until 1515:13, when it began descending. Subsequent radar tracks indicated a series of turns and continued descent, with the last radar return at 1526:42, about 7 miles north of the accident site at 5,800 feet. ## Personnel and Aircraft Information The pilot held a Canadian private pilot certificate with airplane single-engine land and multi-engine land ratings. A third-class airman medical certificate was issued on September 11, 2006, with no limitations. The pilot's logbook was not recovered, but the Aircraft Journey Log showed 246.6 hours in the accident aircraft as of March 30, 2008. The aircraft was an amateur-built experimental two-seat, low-wing, retractable-gear airplane, serial number 3262, built in 2003 by the registered owners. It was powered by a Lycoming IO-540-K1A5 engine rated at 340 horsepower and equipped with a Hartzell constant-speed propeller. An annual inspection was completed on March 24, 2008, at a total airframe time of 309 hours. ## Meteorological and Communications Data Recorded data from Cheyenne Regional Airport (CYS), located 27 miles south of the accident site, showed varying conditions. At 1453, visibility was 10 statute miles with an overcast ceiling at 600 feet above ground level. By 1625, visibility had dropped to 1.5 statute miles with light snow and an overcast ceiling at 1,200 feet. Radio communications with Denver ARTCC began at 1433:33. At 1513:55, the pilot requested a descent for the cloud, which was approved. At 1514:28, the pilot requested a descent to 9,500 feet, and the controller advised maintaining VFR and noted the minimum IFR altitude was 10,000 feet. At 1519:42, the controller verified if the pilot had terrain in sight, to which the pilot replied that they were okay but had some clouds and would have to deviate. At 1521:24, the controller advised of light rime ice reported at 1,100 feet and lower. No further communications were received from the aircraft despite multiple attempts by the controller. ## Wreckage and Impact Examination The wreckage was found in an open field, coming to rest upright at a field elevation of 5,935 feet mean sea level. The initial ground impact scar to the main wreckage spanned about 170 feet on a heading of approximately 15 degrees true. All primary flight controls were located at the site. Examination of the airframe and flight control system components revealed no evidence of preimpact mechanical malfunction. The engine remained attached to the firewall, and rotational continuity was established throughout the engine and valve train. The propeller remained attached to the crankshaft, with one blade showing leading edge polishing and scratching, bent aft about 90 degrees with S-bending near the tip. The other blade exhibited S-bending and scratching. No preimpact mechanical malfunction was found in the engine or system components. ## Medical and Pathological Findings The Laramie County Coroner conducted an autopsy on the pilot on April 8, 2008. The forensic pathologist determined the cause of death to be multiple blunt force injuries. Toxicology tests performed by the FAA's Civil Aeromedical Institute (CAMI) in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, tested for carbon monoxide, cyanide, volatiles, and drugs, all of which returned negative results.