Cessna 170B accident near Morrisville, Vermont, August 24, 1985
On August 24, 1985 at about 8:30 pm local time, a Cessna 170B, registered N3568C, was substantially damaged in an accident near Morrisville, Vermont (Morrisville Stowe airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 3 people were 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
- August 24, 1985 · about 8:30 pm local time
- Place
- Morrisville, Vermont · Morrisville Stowe
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 170B · all 170Bs on the register
- Registration
- N3568C · registry record · serial 26612
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
ACCORDING TO THE PLT, A POST MAINTENANCE TEST FLT WAS PERFORMED ABOUT 45 MINS BEFORE THE LANDING OCCURRED. THE PLT STATED THAT HE ALLOWED THE RIGHT SEAT PASSENGER A STUDENT PLT AND OWNER OF THE CESSNA 170, TO FLY AND LAND THE ACFT. UPON LANDING THE PLT NOTICED THE NOSE OF THE ACFT WAS NOT HIGH ENOUGH AND REMINDED THE PASSENGER THAT HE WAS FLYING A TAIL DRAGGER. THE ACFT WAS HOPPING BUT UNDER DIRECTIONAL CONTROL. THE ACFT VEERED TO THE RIGHT FOLLOWED BY A GROUND LOOP. POWER WAS APPLIED AFTERWARDS BY THE PASSENGER AND THE ACFT COLLIDED WITH A PARKED GLIDER ACFT.
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: 789 hours in all; 765 in this make and model; 741 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,852 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 1, 1984
- Maximum gross weight: 2,200 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-300-A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Destination: 1
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 19, 2,700 ft by 50 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 40 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 15,000 ft
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Observation at 4:30 pm
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.