Cessna 170B accident near Livermore Falls, Maine, October 1, 1983
On October 1, 1983 at about 2:35 am local time, a Cessna 170B, registered N2429D, was destroyed in an accident near Livermore Falls, Maine (Bowman airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 3 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
- October 1, 1983 · about 2:35 am local time
- Place
- Livermore Falls, Maine · Bowman
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 3 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 170B · all 170Bs on the register
- Registration
- N2429D · no longer on the register · serial 20581
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT COLLIDED WITH TREES DURING A GO-AROUND AT NIGHT IN A GROUND FOG. THE PLT HAD CALLED HIS WIFE AND DISCUSSED THE WEATHER. HE DECIDED ON AN ALTERNATE ARPT IF THE WEATHER CREATED PROBLEMS. HE HAD FLOWN INTO BOWMAN FIELD MANY TIMES AT NIGHT AND KNEW THE FIELD WELL. IN THE ARPT GUIDE, IN REMARKS, IT STATES: NO NIGHT OPERATIONS EXCEPT IN AN EMERGENCY. IT ALSO STATES RWY 02: TREE, RWY 20: TREE. THE BEACON LIGHTS ATOP THE HANGER CAME ON AT 2230. AT 2235 AN APPROACHING ACFT WAS HEARD. THE ACFT APPROACHED FROM THE NORTH AND THE POWER WAS HEARD TO INCREASE AS THE ACFT PASSED OVER THE TREES. POWER WAS REDUCED AND THEN THERE WAS A SUDDEN BURST OF POWER FOLLOWED BY THE SOUNDS OF TREE CONTACT BEFORE A CRASH. A WITNESS SAW THE ACFT DESCEND INTO THE FOG AND CLIMB BACK OUT BEFORE THE CONTACT WITH TREES. THE WEATHER WAS CLEAR OF CLOUDS, GOOD VISIBILITY, WIND CALM, GROUND FOG ABOUT 5 TO 15 FT AGL IN PATCHES.
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: 449 hours in all; 105 in this make and model; 67 in the last 90 days; 28 in the last 30 days; 420 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,031 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 4, 1983; 20 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,200 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental C-145-2 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: BGR Bangor ME
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 20, 2,450 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
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.