Bellanca 17-30A accident near Arlington, Wyoming, August 23, 1991
On August 23, 1991 at about 7:05 pm local time, a Bellanca 17-30A, registered N14698, was destroyed in an accident near Arlington, Wyoming. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 3 people were killed. The weather was conditions the NTSB did not record.
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
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.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 23, 1991 · about 7:05 pm local time
- Place
- Arlington, Wyoming
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 3 people were killed.
- Weather
- conditions the NTSB did not record
- Aircraft
- Bellanca 17-30A · all 17-30As on the register
- Registration
- N14698 · no longer on the register · serial 73-30615
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
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.
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: 100 hours in all; 10 in this make and model; 40 in the last 90 days; 15 in the last 30 days; 80 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,524 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 12, 1991; 9 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,325 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-520-K (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: APA Denver CO at 5:55 pm
- Destination: OGD Ogden UT
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 070° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 15,000 ft; scat at 8,000 ft
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:50 pm from LAR, 30 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.