Cessna 170B accident near Boulder City, Nevada, May 2, 1985
On May 2, 1985, a Cessna 170B, registered N2518D, was substantially damaged in an accident near Boulder City, Nevada (Boulder City airport). It was a personal 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
- May 2, 1985
- Place
- Boulder City, Nevada · Boulder City · 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
- N2518D · registry record · serial 20670
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING ARRIVAL, A PERSON ANSWERING THE UNICOM REPORTED THAT RWY 3 WAS THE ACTIVE RWY & THAT THE WIND WAS 10 KTS. THE PLT MADE A WHEEL LANDING ON RWY 3 IN WINDS THAT WERE FROM 210 DEG AT 10 KTS. HE STATED THAT WHEN THE TAILWHEEL CAME DOWN DURING THE LANDING ROLL, THE ACFT WAS BLOWN TOWARD THE LEFT. AFTER VEERING LEFT, THE ACFT COLLIDED WITH A TIED DOWN GLIDER & WENT INTO A 4 FT DEEP DITCH. SEVERAL PERSONS NOTED THAT THERE WERE DUST DEVILS ON THE ARPT AT OR NEAR THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 676 hours in all; 13 in this make and model; 19 in the last 90 days; 525 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,938 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, November 17, 1984; 15 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,200 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-300-C (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: L26 Hesperia CA at 10:20 pm
- Destination: BLD
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 3, 3,100 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 210° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 97°F (36°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.
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.