- Date
- December 6, 1987, 12:45 local (18:45 UTC)
- Place
- Springfield, NE
- Injuries
- 2 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N46TDCessna 180
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 26, 1989
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19871206083049A
- Case key
- 34473
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
According to witnesses on the ground, the aircraft was flying low, under the overcast, when the left wing struck the guy wires of a tv tower and the plane crashed out of control. It was destroyed by impact forces and a post-crash fire. Weather stations in the area were reporting low IFR conditions with skies obscured and a light drizzle and fog. There is no record of the instrument-rated pilot having requested an IFR clearance. A complete teardown and inspection was conducted on the accident engine. No evidence could be found to suggest a preexisting discrepancy that would have caused a powerplant failure.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N46TD
- Reported as
- Cessna 180
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 32377
- Airframe hours
- 1,633
- Engine
- Continental O-470-K, 230 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Tracy E. Diers
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Utility; Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · April 24, 1987 · 50 hours before
- Departed
- MKC · Kansas City, MO
- Destination
- FET · Fremont, NE
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 58
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Single-engine sea, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 7,700 total · 95 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Wind
- 50° at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 5 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 1,000 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 37 °F, dew point 36 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- OFF, 15 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.