- Date
- August 17, 1996, 20:30 local (Aug 18, 1996, 04:30 UTC)
- Place
- Cantwell, AK
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Aircraft
- N3546CCessna 170B
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report August 29, 1997
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- FAA report
- 19960817023229A
- Case key
- 2883
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
A failure of the pilot to provide sufficient takeoff distance from the edge of the departure lake and his premature liftoff.
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 certificated private pilot was departing a remote lake. National park rangers observed the airplane collide with tundra at the north end of the lake as the airplane was just taking off. In a written statement to the park rangers, the pilot indicated that he taxied onto the lake and began his takeoff toward the north. He reported that he did not allow sufficient takeoff distance and the airplane descended into the tundra.
Factual narrative
On August 17, 1996, about 2030 Alaska daylight time, a float equipped Cessna 170B, N3546C, collided with terrain during takeoff from a remote lake, about 53 miles west of Cantwell, Alaska. The airplane was being operated as a visual flight rules (VFR) local area personal flight when the accident occurred. The airplane, registered to and operated by the pilot, sustained substantial damage. The certificated private pilot, the sole occupant, was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed.
A Denali National Park Ranger reported that the pilot was departing Wonder Lake. The airplane was observed to collide with the tundra at the north end of the lake as the airplane was just taking off. In a written statement to the park rangers, the pilot indicated that he taxied onto the lake and began his takeoff toward the north. He reported that he did not allow sufficient takeoff distance and the airplane descended into the tundra.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N3546C
- Reported as
- Cessna 170B
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 26589
- Airframe hours
- 7,195
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360-A1A, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Gary Wallace
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · June 12, 1996 · 28 hours before
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
- 61
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine sea, Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 1,815 total · 1,639 in this make and model · 1,770 as pilot in command · 25 in the last 90 days · 2 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 50 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 64 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.