- Date
- September 30, 1983, 22:35 local (Oct 1, 1983, 02:35 UTC)
- Place
- Livermore Falls, ME
- Injuries
- 3 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N2429DCessna 170B
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19830930052589A
- Case key
- 35086
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
The acft collided with trees during a go-around at night in a ground fog. The plt had called his wife and discussed the weather. He decided on an alternate arpt if the weather created problems. He had flown into bowman field many times at night and knew the field well. In the arpt guide, in remarks, it states: no night operations except in an emergency. It also states rwy 02: tree, rwy 20: tree. The beacon lights atop the hanger came on at 2230. At 2235 an approaching acft was heard. The acft approached from the north and the power was heard to increase as the acft passed over the trees. Power was reduced and then there was a sudden burst of power followed by the sounds of tree contact before a crash. A witness saw the acft descend into the fog and climb back out before the contact with trees. The weather was clear of clouds, good visibility, wind calm, ground fog about 5 to 15 ft AGL in patches.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N2429D
- Reported as
- Cessna 170B
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 20581
- Airframe hours
- 2,031
- Engine
- Continental C-145-2, 145 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- George S. Lesko, Jr.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · June 4, 1983 · 20 hours before
- Departed
- BGR · Bangor, ME
- Airport
- B10 · Bowman, runway 20, 2,450 × 150 ft, grass/turf
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
- 36
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 449 total · 105 in this make and model · 420 as pilot in command · 67 in the last 90 days · 28 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 5 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.