Cessna 170 accident near Batavia, Ohio, November 17, 1988
On November 17, 1988 at about 9:30 pm local time, a Cessna 170, registered N4137V, was substantially damaged in an accident near Batavia, Ohio (Clermont County 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
- November 17, 1988 · about 9:30 pm local time
- Place
- Batavia, Ohio · Clermont County · 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
- N4137V · no longer on the register · serial 377182
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AFTER ABOUT 3 HOURS AND 20 MINS OF FLIGHT THE PILOT EXPERIENCED A COMPLETE POWER FAILURE. HE ATTEMPTED TO REACH THE CLOSEST AIRPORT, BUT WAS FORCED TO LAND IN A FIELD 3 MILES SHORT. THE PILOT HAD ESTIMATED THAT HE HAD 4 HRS FUEL. AT ABOUT 9 GPH AND 33.5 GALS OF USABLE FUEL THE TOTAL ENDURANCE (ASSUMING PROPER LEANING) IS 3.7 HRS MINUS FUEL FOR T/O, TAXI, AND CLIMB. THE AIRPLANE WAS SERVICED WITH AUTOMOTIVE FUEL. THERE WERE NO MECHANICAL PROBLEMS REPORTED.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: helicopter; instructor: instrument airplane; instructor: instrument helicopter; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 3,000 hours in all; 120 in this make and model; 15 in the last 90 days; 15 in the last 30 days; 2,400 as pilot in command; 300 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,390 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 18, 1988; 46 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,200 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-300 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Palmetto GA at 6:00 pm
- Destination: Springfield OH
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 4, 3,732 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 240° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 48°F (9°C), dew point 19°F (-7°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
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.