- Date
- September 8, 1996, 20:30 local (Sep 9, 1996, 04:30 UTC)
- Place
- Dillingham, AK
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Taxi
- Aircraft
- N2989DCessna 170B
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Dusk
- Status
- Completed · report March 31, 1998
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- FAA report
- 19960908031339A
- Case key
- 2903
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's selection of unsuitable terrain for taxiing.
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 taxiing from landing in a tail-wheel equipped airplane. The landing area was a remote sand and gravel bar. While taxiing, the airplane encountered a soft spot in the sand and nosed over. The airplane received damage to the rudder and the right wing lift strut.
Factual narrative
On September 8, 1996, about 2030 Alaska daylight time, a wheel equipped Cessna 170B, N2989D, crashed during taxi from landing on a remote gravel bar about 30 miles east of Dillingham, Alaska. The airplane was being operated as a visual flight rules (VFR) cross-country 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. The flight originated at the Dillingham airport at 2000.
On September 15, 1996, at 1237, the pilot reported in a telephone conversation with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigator-in-charge (IIC) that he was taxiing from landing and encountered a soft spot on the gravel bar. The airplane nosed over and received damage to the rudder and the right wing lift strut.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N2989D
- Reported as
- Cessna 170B
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 26932
- Airframe hours
- 3,165
- Engine
- Continental C-145-2, 145 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Johnny D. Evans
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · May 25, 1996 · 38 hours before
- Departed
- DLG · AK
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
- 43
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 1,600 total · 600 in this make and model · 1,600 as pilot in command · 45 in the last 90 days · 30 in the last 30 days · 6 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Dusk
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 90 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 50 °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 N2989D · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.