Beech S-35 incident near Matheson, Colorado, November 3, 1988
On November 3, 1988 at about 9:00 pm local time, a Beech S-35, registered N977KM, suffered minor damage in an incident near Matheson, Colorado. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. 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 incident. 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
- November 3, 1988 · about 9:00 pm local time
- Place
- Matheson, Colorado · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech S-35 · all S-35s on the register
- Registration
- N977KM · registry record · serial D 7366
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PRIVATE PLT AND A FRIEND WERE ENROUTE FOR A HUNTING TRIP. THIRTY MILES EAST OF A REFUELING STOP, THE PILOT HEARD A LOUD KNOCK. OIL COVERED THE WINDSCREEN AND THE ENGINE SEIZED. THE PLT LOOKED OUT THE SIDE WINDOW VENT TO SELECT A FORCED LANDING AREA. A WHEELS UP LANDING WAS PERFORMED IN A GRAIN FIELD. AFTER EXITING THE ACFT, THE PLT SAW THAT THE PROPELLER WAS MISSING. DAMAGE WAS REPORTED AS SUBSTANTIAL, BUT A POST INCIDENT INSPECTION REVEALED MINOR DAMAGE. THE PROPELLER WAS NOT FOUND BUT TWO SHEARED PROPELLER BOLTS, P/N A-2040 WERE FOUND IN THE COWLING. IN A PHONE CONVERSATION, A HARTZELL TECHNICAL REPRESENTATIVE, SAID THE PROPER BOLT FOR THIS INSTALLATION IS P/N A-1328-1. HE SAID P/N A-2040 WAS SUPERSEDED PRIOR TO 1970. LOG BOOKS SHOW THIS PROPELLER WAS OVERHAULED 83 FLIGHT HRS PRIOR TO THIS INCIDENT. THE REPAIR SHOP REPORTED THAT THE BOLTS THEY REMOVED WERE INSPECTED AND RE-INSTALLED IN THE HUB.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 433 hours in all; 373 in this make and model; 96 in the last 90 days; 44 in the last 30 days; 399 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,905 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 8, 1988; 130 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,300 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-520-BA (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MKC Kansas City MO at 6:00 pm
- Destination: OOV Falcon CO
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 360° at 15 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; scat at 10,000 ft
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number DEN89IA028.