- Date
- May 11, 1995, 17:15 local (May 12, 1995, 01:15 UTC)
- Place
- Chickaloon, AK
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N4366BCessna 170B
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report November 8, 1995
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- FAA report
- 19950511010949A
- Case key
- 2648
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 fracture of the crankshaft resulting in separation of the propeller and propeller flange in-flight. A factor associated with the accident was the lack of suitable terrain for an emergency landing.
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 reported the airplane's propeller, propeller flange and a portion of the crankshaft separated from the airplane while cruising at an altitude of 6,500' MSL. He said the only available landing site was a narrow road, and that he was forced by surrounding terrain to land uphill and downwind. The airplane landed hard, went off the road and into a ditch. The missing propeller and components were not recovered.
Factual narrative
On May 11, 1995, about 1715 Alaska daylight time, a wheel equipped Cessna 170B airplane, N4366B, sustained substantial damage during a forced landing onto Alaska State Highway 1, near Chickaloon, Alaska. The solo private pilot was not injured. The 14 CFR Part 91 cross country flight operated in visual meteorological conditions. The flight departed Northway, Alaska, about 1500.
The pilot reported that while in cruise flight at 6,500' msl, the engine began to vibrate abruptly, followed almost immediately by a loud noise and the separation of the propeller from the engine. He said the only suitable forced landing area was the highway, and he was forced to land downwind and uphill due to surrounding terrain. The airplane bounced, and went into a ditch adjacent to the highway.
The pilot could give no reason why the propeller separated from the engine. In his written statement to the NTSB, he noted that the propeller, the propeller mounting flange, and the forward portion of the crankshaft had separated from the engine and were not recovered.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N4366B
- Reported as
- Cessna 170B
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 26710
- Airframe hours
- 3,404
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360-A1A, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- William F. Parnell
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal; Standard, Utility
- Last inspection
- Annual · April 13, 1995 · 44 hours before
- Departed
- ORT · Northway, AK
- Destination
- SQX · Soldotna, 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
- 54
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 1,445 total · 445 in this make and model · 1,390 as pilot in command · 48 in the last 90 days · 48 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 270° at 20 knots
- Visibility
- 35 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 55 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.