Cessna 170B accident near Hyannis, Nebraska, November 3, 1986
On November 3, 1986 at about 9:00 pm local time, a Cessna 170B, registered N8173A, was substantially damaged in an accident near Hyannis, Nebraska. It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 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
- November 3, 1986 · about 9:00 pm local time
- Place
- Hyannis, Nebraska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 170B · all 170Bs on the register
- Registration
- N8173A · no longer on the register · serial 25025
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT STATED THAT HE WAS SERVICING CUSTOMERS WHILE ON THIS BUSINESS TRIP. ON HIS NEXT CALL, THE PILOT FURTHER STATED, HE WAS TO LAND IN A HAY FIELD THAT HE HAD PREVIOUSLY USED BUT, DUE TO WATER IN THE AREA, HE ELECTED TO LAND ON HIGHER GROUNDS. UPON LANDING, THE AIRPLANE ROLLED OVER ROUGH TERRAIN, WENT OUT OF CONTROL AND NOSED OVER.
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
- Flight time: 4,656 hours in all; 4,043 in this make and model; 40 in the last 90 days; 4,570 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,078 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 23, 1986; 105 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,050 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A2F (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Hyannis NE at 8:45 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 300° at 12 knots
- Visibility: 25 statute miles
- Sky: overcast; scat at 5,000 ft
- Temperature: 50°F (10°C), dew point 37°F (3°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:50 pm from LBF, 59 miles away
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.