What happened
On July 17, 2025, at approximately 23:58 mountain daylight time, a Piper PA-28-180, registration N7186W, crashed near West Yellowstone, Montana. The flight was being operated under 14 CFR Part 91 for personal purposes. The pilot and two pilot-rated passengers, two of whom were building night, cross-country flight time, were 3 fatal in the accident.
According to FAA ADS-B data, the aircraft landed on runway 01 at Yellowstone Airport (WYS) at 22:46 and departed from runway 19 at 23:53. After takeoff, the flightpath drifted left of the runway centerline and followed a course parallel to the extended centerline. Approximately 3 miles southwest of WYS, the aircraft turned left to the south, followed by a left turn to a southeasterly heading, and finally a right turn that continued until the end of the recorded flight track. No altitude information was available from the ADS-B data.
A pilot of another aircraft, who was flying an ILS approach to runway 01, reported hearing a radio transmission from the pilot of N7186W that did not clearly describe their position. When the approaching pilot asked for clarification, the pilot of the accident aircraft responded, "...I'm trying to get to..." followed by garbled audio. The approaching pilot then observed aircraft lights in the distance below his own aircraft, moving toward the southeast. The approaching pilot asked if the aircraft was on a left crosswind, but received no further response and landed without further interaction.
The approaching pilot noted that the environment was "very dark" with no landscape illumination from the moon or ground lights, aside from the runway lights. Weather conditions were reported as VMC with a visibility of 10 statute miles and winds of 210 degrees at 4 knots.
Following an Alert Notice issued on July 18, 2025, the wreckage was located by the Montana Department of Transportation Aeronautics Division. The debris was found approximately 5.5 miles southeast of WYS at an elevation of about 7,580 feet MSL.
The investigation
Examination of the accident site showed the aircraft impacted wooded terrain near the top of a geographical plateau. The debris field measured approximately 200 feet in length, oriented on a magnetic heading of 266°. The main wreckage was located about 160 feet from the first point of contact. Parts of the main wreckage were found in a nose-low attitude, while other portions were found inverted. All major components, including the airframe, flight controls, engine, and propeller assembly, were located throughout the debris field. The wreckage was moved to a secure facility for further examination.