Cessna 170B accident near Willow, AK
On July 17, 2004, a Cessna 170B (airplane) was involved in an accident near Willow, AK. 4 people died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- July 17, 2004
- Place
- Willow, AK
- Aircraft
- Cessna 170B · Airplane
- Injuries
- 4 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 61.934°N, 150.076°W
- NTSB ID
- 20040727X01073
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On July 16, 2004, about 2145 Alaska daylight time, a tundra tire-equipped Cessna 170B airplane, N4588C, was destroyed when it collided with trees and the ground following a loss of control while maneuvering, about 12 miles north-northwest of Willow, Alaska. The airplane was being operated as a visual flight rules (VFR) cross-country personal flight under Title 14, CFR Part 91, when the accident occurred. The airplane was operated by the pilot. The private certificated pilot, and the three passengers, received fatal injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and a round-robin VFR flight plan was filed from Merrill Field, Anchorage, Alaska, to Talkeetna, Alaska. The accident flight originated at the Talkeetna Airport at 2119 for the return portion of the flight to Anchorage. At 1704, the pilot telephoned the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) Kenai Automated Flight Service Station (AFSS) to inquire about the weather conditions from Merrill Field to Talkeetna. The flight service station specialist stated, in part: "Okay, no AIRMETS; Merrill's clear and ten [miles visibility], wind 280 [degrees] at nine [knots]. Talkeetna's few [clouds] at 10,000 feet, ten miles [visibility], winds variable at five [knots]." The pilot then filed a VFR flight plan that included a departure time of 1800, with a route from Merrill Field, to Hatcher Pass, Alaska, to Talkeetna. The pilot indicated that the return route would be Talkeetna, to Big Lake, Alaska, to Merrill Field. The total time en route was planned as 6 hours, to include ground time in Talkeetna, with
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to maintain adequate airspeed, which resulted in an inadvertent stall while maneuvering, and a collision with trees and terrain during an uncontrolled descent.
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Browse: Alaska · Cessna aircraft
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
