Cessna 170B accident near Oskaloosa, Iowa, August 17, 1984
On August 17, 1984 at about 10:50 pm local time, a Cessna 170B, registered N516PC, was destroyed in an accident near Oskaloosa, Iowa. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. 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
- August 17, 1984 · about 10:50 pm local time
- Place
- Oskaloosa, Iowa · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 170B · all 170Bs on the register
- Registration
- N516PC · registry record · serial 20514
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
SEVERAL WITNESSES VIEWED THE ACFT CIRCLING OVER A BEAN FIELD AT AN ALT OF 200 TO 300 FT AGL. THE PLT AND PAX WERE REPORTEDLY LOOKING FOR A RADIO-CONTROLLED AIRPLANE LOST IN THE FIELD. WITNESSES CONTINUED TO STATE AN INCREASE OF POWER OCCURRED AND THE ACFT BEGAN A CLIMBING LEFT TURN DURING WHICH THE LEFT WING DROPPED AND THE ACFT ENTERED A SPIN. THE ACFT CRASHED IN THE BEAN FIELD 1/8 MILE NE OF THE OSKALOOSA APRT.
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: airline transport pilot, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 5,445 hours in all; 230 in this make and model; 72 in the last 90 days; 25 in the last 30 days; 5,395 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,169 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 16, 1984
- Maximum gross weight: 2,200 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A1A (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 040° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 4 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 8,000 ft; 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.
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.