- Date
- December 22, 1987, 12:29 local (17:29 UTC)
- Place
- Sandwich, MA
- Injuries
- 1 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N5571CCessna 170A
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 26, 1989
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19871222070969A
- Case key
- 36078
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 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.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N5571C
- Reported as
- Cessna 170A
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 19056
- Engine
- Continental O-300, 145 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Part 91
- Registered owner
- Richard C. Kelsey, Sr.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · April 20, 1987
- Departed
- 0B6 · Chatham, MA
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
- 72
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Single-engine sea
- Medical
- Class 2, Expired
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 3,320 total
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 15 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.
Other investigations on N5571C · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.