Cessna 172 accident near Riverton, Wyoming, November 13, 1988
On November 13, 1988 at about 11:30 pm local time, a Cessna 172, registered N8045B, was substantially damaged in an accident near Riverton, Wyoming. It was an instructional 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 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
- November 13, 1988 · about 11:30 pm local time
- Place
- Riverton, Wyoming · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172 · all 172s on the register
- Registration
- N8045B · registry record · serial 29845
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE INSTRUCTOR REPORTED CLOSING THE THROTTLE TO SIMULATE AN ENGINE FAILURE, DURING A TRAINING FLIGHT. THE STUDENT ADDED CARBURETOR HEAT FIRST, INSTEAD OF ESTABLISHING A PROPER GLIDE. THE INSTRUCTOR REMOVED CARBURETOR HEAT AND ADVISED THE STUDENT OF THE DESIRED SEQUENCE. THE INSTRUCTOR ADDED CARB HEAT, OPENED THE THROTTLE SLIGHTLY, AND CLEARED THE ENGINE DURING DESCENT. THE STUDENT SELECTED A FIELD FOR THE SIMULATED FORCED LANDING. THE INSTRUCTOR ADDED POWER TO RECOVER AT 300 FT AGL. THE ENGINE ACCELERATED TO PARTIAL POWER THEN 'CUT OUT.' THE INSTRUCTOR TRIED TWICE MORE TO RESTORE FULL POWER TO NO AVAIL. A FORCED LANDING WAS MADE IN A BEET FIELD, 10 MILES SOUTHWEST OF THE DESTINATION. AT TOUCHDOWN, THE NOSE WHEEL HIT A DITCH AND WAS SHEARED OFF. THE ACFT TRAVELED 200 FEET, NOSED OVER AND CAME TO REST INVERTED. A POST ACCIDENT ENGINE RUN BY AN FAA INSPECTOR FAILED TO REVEAL EVIDENCE TO EXPLAIN THE REPORTED LOSS OF POWER. THE TEMP WAS 41, AND THE DEW POINT WAS 27.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,147 hours in all; 100 in this make and model; 33 in the last 90 days; 6 in the last 30 days; 991 as pilot in command; 241 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,226 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 4, 1988; 84 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,200 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-300-A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: LND Lander WY at 11:20 pm
- Destination: RIW Riverton WY
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 40 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 6,000 ft
- Temperature: 41°F (5°C), dew point 27°F (-3°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:45 pm from RIW, 10 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
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.