Amateur-built GLASAIR SH-2 accident near Rawlins, Wyoming, August 9, 1985
On August 9, 1985 at about 3:25 pm local time, a amateur-built GLASAIR SH-2, registered N39RW, was destroyed in an accident near Rawlins, Wyoming. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was conditions the NTSB did not record.
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 9, 1985 · about 3:25 pm local time
- Place
- Rawlins, Wyoming · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- conditions the NTSB did not record
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built GLASAIR SH-2 GLASAIR SH
- Registration
- N39RW · registry record · serial 177
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT CRASHED IN A SLIGHTLY NOSE LOW HIGH VELOCITY IMPACT WITH THE ENG OPERATING AT LOW PWR BY THE SIGNATURES ON THE PROP. THE RADAR PLOT SHOWS THAT THE FLIGHT DESCENDED FROM APRX 15000 FT TO ABOUT 10000 FT IN APRX 1 MINUTE. THE ACFT CONTINUED TO DESCEND IN A HIGH SPEED HIGH RATE OF DESCENT SPIRAL WHICH CHANGED TO A HIGH SPEED STALL JUST PRIOR TO IMPACT AS NDICATED BY GRND CONTACT MARKS AND WRECKAGE CLUES THERE WAS A BROKEN CLOUD DECK AT APRX 4000 FT AGL. FRIENDS OF THE PLT DO NOT BELIEVE THAT HE WOULD HAVE CONSCIOUSLY CLIMBED TO ABOVE 15000 FT WITHOUT OXYGEN, LEADING TO A CONCLUSION OF PLT INCAPACITATION PRIOR TO THE CLIMB AND CRASH. ATTEMPTED CONTROL INPUTS FROM THE WIFE COULD HAVE ALTERED THE ACFT PERFORMANCE AFTER PIC INCAPACITATION. DUE TO THE ACC TRAUMA NO CONCUSIONS WERE DRAWN FROM THE PLTS NREMAINS DURING ATUOPSY. THE FLT PATTERN IS THE MAIN EVIDENCE OF LACK OF PLT INPUT DURING THE FINAL MINUTES OF FLT.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea
- Flight time: 2,000 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-E1A6D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: BFF Scottsbluff NE at 2:09 pm
- Destination: CCR Concord Buchana CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 320° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 30 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 4,000 ft
- Temperature: 52°F (11°C), dew point 46°F (8°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:53 pm from RWL, 22 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.