Cessna 170B accident near Buffalo, Wyoming, February 26, 1983
On February 26, 1983 at about 5:30 pm local time, a Cessna 170B, registered N1896C, was substantially damaged in an accident near Buffalo, Wyoming (Buffalo Municipal 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).
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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 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 26, 1983 · about 5:30 pm local time
- Place
- Buffalo, Wyoming · Buffalo Municipal · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 170B · all 170Bs on the register
- Registration
- N1896C · registry record · serial 26041
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFTS MAIN LEFT GEAR COLLAPSED DURING A GROUNDLOOP ON LANDING. THE PILOT STATED THAT HIS APPROACH TO LANDING WAS NORMAL BUT AFTER TOUCHDOWN THE ACFT VEERED TO THE RIGHT. HE SAID THE WIND WAS NOT A FACTOR. THE PILOT GAVE A FEDERAL INSPECTOR THE IMPRESSION THAT HE WAS INADEQUATELY TRAINED AND FELT INSECURE IN THE ACFT. WHEN TOLD HE WOULD BE SUBJECTEDTO ADDITIONAL TRAINING AND EXAMINATION THE PILOT SAID HE HAD NO OBJECTIONS 'IT THEY CAN EVER GET ME BACK IN IT AGAIN.'
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: 86 hours in all; 55 in this make and model; 3 in the last 90 days; 52 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,033 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 1, 1982; 41 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,050 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A1A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PVT Buffalo WY
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 3, 4,500 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°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.
Other NTSB records under N1896C the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number DEN83LA068.