Cessna 170 accident near Ft. Bragg, North Carolina, August 1, 1983
On August 1, 1983 at about 1:37 am local time, a Cessna 170, registered N4276V, was substantially damaged in an accident near Ft. Bragg, North Carolina (Simmons Aaf airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was 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
- August 1, 1983 · about 1:37 am local time
- Place
- Ft. Bragg, North Carolina · Simmons Aaf · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 170 · all 170s on the register
- Registration
- N4276V · no longer on the register · serial 18634
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT'S RIGHT LANDING GEAR COLLAPSED DURING LANDING. THE PLT HAD JUST PURCHASED THIS ACFT AND WAS ON HIS FIRST X-COUNTRY. DURING HIS FIRST APPROACH AT FT. BRAGG HE HAD MADE A GO-AROUND BECAUSE OF GUSTY WINDS AND TURBULENCE. DURING THE 2ND ATTEMPT THE WIND SEEMED LESS TURBULENT AND A LANDING WAS ACCOMPLISHED. JUST AFTER TOUCHDOWN THE LEFT WING LIFTEDAND THE ACFT TURNED INTO THE WIND; DURING THE TURN THE RIGHT LANDING GEAR STRUT COLLAPSED. THE BROKEN STRUT WAS EXAMINEDAND THE BREAK WAS TYPICAL OF A FAILURE DUE TO SHOCK OVERLOAD. NO FATIGUE OR CORROSION WAS FOUND. THE PLT ALSO HAD FLOWN ALMOST 18 HOURS IN THE PRECEDING 24 HOURS AND HAD 2 HOURS EXPERIENCE IN CONVENTIONAL GEAR ACFT PRIOR TO THIS. THE MAJORITY OF HIS FLT EXPERIENCE HAS BEEN IN HELICOPTERS.
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, military
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 598 hours in all; 18 in this make and model; 39 in the last 90 days; 277 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,340 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 1, 1982; 20 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,200 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental C-145-2 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: AND Anderson SC at 11:00 pm
- Destination: FBG
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 27, 3,600 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, bright
- Wind: from 210° at 6 knots, gusting 11
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 12,000 ft
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.