Cessna 170B accident near Turner, Maine, April 26, 1984
On April 26, 1984 at about 4:30 pm local time, a Cessna 170B, registered N3112A, was destroyed in an accident near Turner, Maine (Twitchell airport). It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed and 1 person was seriously injured. 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
- April 26, 1984 · about 4:30 pm local time
- Place
- Turner, Maine · Twitchell
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed and 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 170B · all 170Bs on the register
- Registration
- N3112A · no longer on the register · serial 25756
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WITNESSES OBSERVED THE ACFT APPROACH, FLAPS DOWN, FOR LNDG. A FLARE WAS MADE NEAR THE APPROACH END OF THE RUNWAY, THEN THE ACFT BALLOONED TO ABOUT 20 FT AGL AND ONCE MORE DESCENDED TO THE RUNWAY SURFACE. ON TOUCHDOWN, THE RIGHT WING TIP APPEARED TO CONTACT THE GROUND. POWER WAS ADDED AND THE ACFT APPEARED FROM VIEW BEHIND BUILDINGS, IN A CLIMBING ATTITUDE. THERE WERE NO WITNESSES TO THE SUBSEQUENT CRASH. WITNESSES REPORTED A STRONG GUSTY CROSSWIND FROM THE RIGHT AT 25 TO 30 KTS.
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: 389 hours in all; 22 in this make and model; 6 in the last 90 days; 6 in the last 30 days; 330 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,261 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 21, 1984; 4 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,200 lb
- Seats: 3
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental C-145-2H (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: CWN North Conway NH at 3:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 30, 2,340 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 020° at 18 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 5,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 55°F (13°C), dew point 25°F (-4°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:51 pm from AUG, 20 miles away
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.