- Date
- March 16, 1990, 20:00 local (Mar 17, 1990, 00:00 UTC)
- Place
- Sulatna Cross, AK
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N4659CCessna 170B
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Dusk
- Status
- Completed · report December 15, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- FAA report
- 19900316008549A
- Case key
- 5344
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
The pilot failed to adequately assess the existing snow conditions and surrounding terrain (preflight planning) prior to takeoff. Contributing factors were: the lighting conditions, the pilot's over confidence in the airplane's performance capabilities and the snow covered terrain.
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 pilot stated that he was attempting to take off from a frozen lake at dusk. Loose snow on the surface of the lake adversely affected the airplane's takeoff distance. The pilot said that shortly after lift off, the airplane's horizontal stabilizer struck a tree, and that he made an immediate emergency landing. The pilot said that the accident could have been avoided if he had waited for better lighting conditions, or if he would have aborted the takeoff early in the takeoff roll.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N4659C
- Reported as
- Cessna 170B
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 25603
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360-A1A, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Wilbur M. Smith
- Departed
- MCG · Mcgrath, AK
- Flight plan
- VFR
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
- 37
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine sea, Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Flight hours
- 2,800 total · 600 in this make and model · 2,800 as pilot in command
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Dusk
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 10,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 25 °F, dew point -0 °F
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 N4659C · 2
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.