- Date
- August 23, 1991, 13:05 local (19:05 UTC)
- Place
- Arlington, WY
- Injuries
- 3 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N14698Bellanca 17-30A
- Weather
- Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 31, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19910823036469A
- Case key
- 41336
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The loss of engine power for an undetermined reason. Factors contriubting to the accident were trees and the pilot's failure to maintain adequate clearance above the trees.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The low time, recently certificated private pilot departed denver, Colorado, on a VFR flight to ogden, Utah, about 1150 local and reported 6 NM south of laramie (lar), Wyoming, at 10500 feet at 1250 local. The aircraft crashed in a clearcut area 31 NM west of lar at 9,200 feet MSL approximately 15 minutes later. There was no evidence of significant rotational scarring on the propeller nor within the engine. Tree impacts at the edge of the clearcut were consistent with a right wing down attitude. The pilot filed with 4 hours 50 minutes of fuel aboard. A post crash fire consumed most of the aircraft. There were no witnesses to the accident. The engine was disassembled and there was no evidence of mechanical malfunction noted.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N14698
- Reported as
- Bellanca 17-30A
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 73-30615
- Airframe hours
- 1,524
- Engine
- Continental IO-520-K, 300 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Thomas B. & Pamela Smith
- Registered owner
- Thomas B. & Pamela Smith
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · April 12, 1991 · 9 hours before
- Departed
- APA · Denver, CO
- Destination
- OGD · Ogden, UT
- Flight plan
- VFR
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 46
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 100 total · 10 in this make and model · 80 as pilot in command · 40 in the last 90 days · 15 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Day
- Wind
- 70° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 50 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 15,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 81 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- LAR, 30 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.