Snow 600-S2C accident near Plainfield, Wisconsin, July 30, 1983
On July 30, 1983 at about 11:45 pm local time, a Snow 600-S2C, registered N1678S, was destroyed in an accident near Plainfield, Wisconsin (Farm Strip airport). It was an aerial application (crop spraying) flight under agricultural flying rules (Part 137). 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
- July 30, 1983 · about 11:45 pm local time
- Place
- Plainfield, Wisconsin · Farm Strip · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Snow 600-S2C · all 600-S2Cs on the register
- Registration
- N1678S · no longer on the register
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT CAUGHT FIRE IN THE AIR AFTER A POWER LOSS. A FORCED LANDING WAS ACCOMPLISHED AND THE PILOT ESCAPED WITHOUT INJURY BUT THE ACFT WAS DESTROYED BY THE FIRE. IT WAS REPORTED THAT THE FIRE WAS SO INTENSE THAT ALL EVIDENCE OF CAUSE WAS DESTROYED. THE ACFT WAS RETURNING FROM AN AERIAL APPLICATION FLIGHT WHEN THE ACCIDENT HAPPENED. THE PILOT STATED THAT HE THOUGHT THE FIRE STARTED IN THE ENGINE ACCESSORY SECTION AND WAS THE CAUSE OF THE POWER LOSS. HE ALSO SAID THE ACFT WAS UNDAMAGED BY THE FORCED LANDING.
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
- Flight time: 14,763 hours in all; 1,200 in this make and model; 200 in the last 90 days; 14,396 as pilot in command; 11 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,300 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 5, 1982
- Maximum gross weight: 4,800 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: P&W R-1340 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire in flight and on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: Plainfield WI
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- 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.