- Date
- May 22, 1989, 16:02 local (May 23, 1989, 00:02 UTC)
- Place
- Birchwood, AK
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N3132BCessna 170B
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 28, 1991
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- Case key
- 5109
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
Failure of the pilot to assure that the fuel selector was in the proper detent for takeoff. A factor related to the accident was: the soft/muddy terrain conditions in the emergency landing area.
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 plt stated he made an eng run-up with the fuel selector in the left tank position, then he moved the selector to use the right tank for takeoff. During takeoff, the acft climbed aprx 200 to 300 ft AGL, then the eng lost power. Subsequently, the acft was damaged during an emergency landing in a swamp/mud flat. No preimpact part failure or malfunction of the acft or eng was found. The plt rprtd that when he touched the fuel selector handle, during the emergency restart procedure, he felt the selector go into the right detent position.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N3132B
- Reported as
- Cessna 170B
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 25374
- Airframe hours
- 3,370
- Engine
- Continental C-145, 145 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Michael & Linda Petrie
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · August 20, 1988 · 34 hours before
- Departed
- Z15
- Airport
- Z15 · Birchwood, runway 19, 4,000 × 100 ft, macadam
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
- 33
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 68 total · 13 in this make and model · 29 as pilot in command · 38 in the last 90 days · 22 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 30 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 55 °F