Beech D-17S accident near Wheatland, Wyoming, May 28, 1988
On May 28, 1988 at about 9:00 pm local time, a Beech D-17S, registered N1038M, was destroyed in an accident near Wheatland, Wyoming (Two Bar Ranch airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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
- May 28, 1988 · about 9:00 pm local time
- Place
- Wheatland, Wyoming · Two Bar Ranch · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech D-17S · all D-17Ss on the register
- Registration
- N1038M · no longer on the register · serial 1017
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE WITNESSES SAID THEY SAW THE ACFT FLY A PATTERN INDICATIVE OF A BASE TO FINAL APPROACH TO RWY 35. THE AIRSTRIP HAS A SECOND RUNWAY ORIENTED EAST AND WEST. THE WIND WAS BLOWING FROM THE EAST AT 20 KNOTS. THE ACFT WRECKAGE WAS FOUND APPROXIMATELY 3/4 MILES WEST (DOWNWIND) OF RWY 35. THE ACFT HAD STRUCK A UTILITY POLE APPROXIMATELY 18 FEET AGL. THE PROP REVEALED EVIDENCE OF TORSIONAL DAMAGE AND SEVERAL PROP SLASH MARKS WERE FOUND IN THE DIRT NEAR THE WRECKAGE. THE OUTSIDE AIR TEMPERATURE WAS ABOUT 100 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT. WITNESSES STATED THAT THEY SAW THE ACFT DESCEND, PULL-UP ABRUPTLY, TWIST 90 DEGREES, THEN DESCEND RAPIDLY.
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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 2,792 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,797 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, April 23, 1988; 23 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,250 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W R-985 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: LAR Laramie WY at 8:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 35, 4,800 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 090° at 20 knots
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 100°F (38°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:00 pm
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.
Other NTSB records under N1038M the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.