Cessna 170A accident near Grygla, Minnesota, December 31, 1985
On December 31, 1985 at about 10:30 pm local time, a Cessna 170A, registered N3828V, was substantially damaged in an accident near Grygla, Minnesota (Private airport). It was a personal 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 November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 31, 1985 · about 10:30 pm local time · cases in 1985
- Place
- Grygla, Minnesota · Private · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 170A · all 170As on the register
- Registration
- N3828V · registry record · serial 18686
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE AIRCRAFT HAD BEEN FITTED WITH OWNER INSTALLD SKIS. DURING LANDING THE LEFT SKI SEPARATES FROM ITS MOUNT ALLOWING THE LEFT SKI MOUNT TO DIG INTO THE SNOW COVERED RUNWAY. THE RIGHT WINGTIP STRUCK A SNOWBANK AND THE AIRCRAFT CAME TO REST ON ITS NOSE. THE PILOT STATED THAT THE SKI MOUNT RETAINING WASHER WAS MISSING ALLOWING THE SKI MOUNT TO SLIDE OVER THE RETAINING NUT AND COTTER PIN ON THE AXLE END.HE FURTHER STATED THAT IT WAS EITHER AN OVERSIGHT DURING PREFLIGHT, OR THAT THE WASHER COULD HAVE COME OFF DURING THE LAST LAST FLIGHT.
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
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,600 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 26, 1985
- Maximum gross weight: 2,200 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental C145-2 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 7°F (-14°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N3828V on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Cessna 170 2,085 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Cessna 72,676 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Continental C145-2 11 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Accidents and incidents in Minnesota 1,544 since 1982 · 209 in the last ten years
- Minnesota 6,958 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/CHI86LA055.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.