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| Date: | Tuesday 14 January 2025 |
| Time: | 06:22 |
| Type: |  Piper PA-24-250 Comanche |
| Owner/operator: | Private |
| Registration: | N6502P |
| MSN: | 24-1623 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1959 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1 |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | near Rock Springs, WY -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Rock Springs-Southwest Wyoming Regional Airport, WY (RKS/KRKS) |
| Apple Valley Airport, CA (APV/KAPV) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Information verified through data from accident investigation authorities |
On January 14, 2025, about 0622 mountain standard time, a Piper PA-24-250, N6502P, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident near Rock Springs, Wyoming. The pilot was fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight.
The airplane departed Southwest Wyoming Regional Airport (RKS), Rock Springs, Wyoming, on a cross-country flight, with a destination of Apple Valley Airport (APV), Apple Valley, California, where the pilot was going for work. An alert notice (ALNOT) was issued when the pilot did not reach their intended destination. The wreckage was located the following day by local law enforcement.
Review of preliminary ADS-B data showed that the airplane departed from RKS to the southwest and climbed to 10,175 ft mean sea level (msl). The airplane maintained this altitude on a southwesterly heading for about 11 minutes. Subsequently, the airplane made a descending 180° left turn to 8,400 ft msl, followed by a right climbing turn to about 9,000 ft msl before descending again to 8,400 ft msl on a southernly heading at the end of the flight track. The accident site was located about 1/4 miles south of the last data point of the flight track.
The accident site was located in a remote mountainous area at an elevation of approximately 8,450 ft msl. Examination of the accident site revealed the first identified point of impact was a group of damaged trees. The debris field extended from the first identified point of impact on a heading of about 246° magnetic for about 240 ft. All major structural components and other fragments of the airplane were spread throughout the debris field.
The airplane wreckage will be retained for further examination.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
https://cowboystatedaily.com/2025/01/15/missing-green-river-pilot-found-dead-in-crash-near-rock-springs/
https://www.wyomingnews.com/rocketminer/update-search-efforts-continue-for-missing-pilot-and-aircraft-near-rock-springs/article_8c52dedc-d35a-11ef-8a66-cfaeb7810bfb.html
https://www.fox13now.com/news/local-news/utah-air-national-guard-searching-in-wyoming-for-missing-pilot-and-aircraft
NTSB
https://registry.faa.gov/AircraftInquiry/Search/NNumberResult?nNumberTxt=6502P
https://www.flightaware.com/live/flight/N6502P/history/20250114/1308Z/KRKS/L%2041.11606%20-109.29279
Location
Media:
NTSB is investigating yesterday's crash of a Piper PA-24-250 airplane near Rock Springs, Wyoming.
— NTSB Newsroom (@NTSB_Newsroom) January 15, 2025
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 16-Jan-2025 00:53 | Captain Adam | Added |
| 16-Jan-2025 07:31 | DanGryder | Updated [Time, Registration, Cn, Source, ] |
| 16-Jan-2025 07:31 | RobertMB | Updated [Time, Registration, Cn, Operator, Location, Source, Embed code, Narrative, Category, ] |
| 16-Jan-2025 13:27 | Captain Adam | Updated [Embed code, Narrative, ] |
| 16-Jan-2025 17:29 | RobertMB | Updated [Source, Narrative, ] |
| 12-Feb-2025 00:02 | Captain Adam | Updated |
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