Cessna 170A accident near Sandwich, Massachusetts, December 22, 1987
On December 22, 1987 at about 5:29 pm local time, a Cessna 170A, registered N5571C, was destroyed in an accident near Sandwich, Massachusetts. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was 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
- December 22, 1987 · about 5:29 pm local time
- Place
- Sandwich, Massachusetts
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 170A · all 170As on the register
- Registration
- N5571C · registry record · serial 19056
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE CESSNA 170A WAS ON AN AERIAL PHOTOGRAPHY FLT. WITNESSES RPRTD THE ACFT WAS FLYING SLOW AT ABOUT 200 FT AGL WHEN IT BEGAN TO SETTLE. THE WITNESSES THEN HEARD AN INCREASE IN ENG POWER & SAW THE ACFT PITCH UP. SUBSEQUENTLY, IT 'FELL OFF ON A WING,' CRASHED IN A STEEP DSCNT & BURNED. DUE TO IMPACT & FIRE DAMAGE, INVESTIGATORS COULD NOT DETERMINE IF THE PLT WAS WEARING A SEAT BELT. NO PREIMPACT PART FAILURE OR MALFUNCTION WAS FOUND. THE 72 YEAR OLD PLT'S LAST MEDICAL CERTIFICATE WAS DATED 6/13/85 & HIS LAST BIENNIAL FLT REVIEW WAS ABOUT 34 MONTHS PRIOR TO THE ACDNT. A TOXICOLOGY CHECK REVEALED THE PRESENCE OF DESMETHYLDIAZEPAM, AN ACTIVE METABOLITE OF DIAZEPAM (VALIUM), IN THE AMOUNT OF 0.1 UG/ML. ACCORDING TO THE TOXICOLOGY RPRT, 0.1 TO 2.1 UG/ML OF DIAZEPAM IS A THERAPEUTIC LVL.
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; single-engine sea
- Flight time: 3,320 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (expired)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 20, 1987
- Maximum gross weight: 2,200 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-300 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: 0B6 Chatham MA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.
Other NTSB records under N5571C the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.