Cessna 170B accident near Ama, Louisiana, April 28, 1985
On April 28, 1985 at about 9:15 pm local time, a Cessna 170B, registered N170NX, was destroyed in an accident near Ama, Louisiana (Sellers Fld airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. 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
- April 28, 1985 · about 9:15 pm local time
- Place
- Ama, Louisiana · Sellers Fld · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 170B · all 170Bs on the register
- Registration
- N170NX · registry record · serial 26337
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE AIRCRAFT REPORTEDLY ASSUMED AN ABRUPT NOSE HIGH ATTITUDE DURING ITS INITIAL CLIMB FOLLOWING TAKEOFF. THE PILOT STATED HE MADE THE INITIAL LEFT DEPARTURE TURN FROM THE AIRPORT AND THEN REALIZED HE COULD NOT RELEASE THE ELEVATOR BACK PRESSURE HE HAD USED DURING THE TURN. THE AIRCRAFT STALLED AND ENTERED A SPIN. THE PLT REDUCED POWER AND EXTENDED THE FLAPS AND AT THAT TIME REGAINED ELEVATOR CONTROL. HE PLACED THE ACFT INTO A NOSE UP ATTITUDE BUT WAS UNABLE TO STOP THE DESCENT BEFORE GROUND IMPACT OCCURRED. THE ACFT HAS NOT BEEN EXAMINED TO DETERMINE WHAT CAUSED THE REPORTED ELEVATOR CNTL PROBLEM SINCE IT IMPACTED IN A SWAMP AND WAS DESTROYED. TO DATE, 3-4-86, THE WRECKAGE HAS NOT BEEN RECOVERED AND PROBABLY WILL NOT BE RECOVERED. A CRAWFISH BROIL WAS IN PROGRESS AT THE APRT FROM WHICH THE ACFT HAD JUST DEPARTED. CRAWFISH AND BEER WAS BEING SERVED. THE PLT HAD BEEN AT THE ARPT ABOUT AN HR,HOWEVER, HE STATED HE DID NOT PARTICIPATE IN THE FESTIVITIES. NO TOXICOLOGY EXAMINATION OF THE PILOT WAS CONDUCTED.
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; multi-engine sea; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,840 hours in all; 1,500 in this make and model; 20 in the last 90 days; 3,000 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,720 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 24, 1984
- Maximum gross weight: 2,050 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-300-A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Destination: NEW New Orleans LA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 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.
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 FTW85LA201.