Cessna 170B accident near North Pole, AK
On July 1, 2021, a Cessna 170B (airplane) was involved in an accident near North Pole, AK. 4 people were seriously injured. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- July 1, 2021
- Place
- North Pole, AK
- Aircraft
- Cessna 170B · Airplane
- Injuries
- 0 fatal, 4 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 64.817°N, 147.417°W
- NTSB ID
- 20210713103466
Official records · ANC21LA056
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
On July 1, 2021, about 1400 Alaska daylight time, a Cessna 170B airplane, N2746D, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident near North Pole, Alaska. The pilot and three passengers were seriously injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. The airplane departed from Dalrymple’s Airport (31AK,) Fairbanks, Alaska. The pilot reported that the airplane was about 13 pounds more than its maximum gross takeoff weight. After completing the preflight check, the pilot initiated the takeoff roll with "1 notch” of flaps deployed. During the takeoff roll, when the airplane’s speed was about 40 to 45 mph, the pilot added a ”2nd notch” of flaps and climbed the airplane to tree top level “after using 1,000 ft of runway.” The pilot was unable to increase airspeed or altitude “without overly increasing the angle of attack” and noticed the airplane was not going to clear the trees off the end of the runway. He deployed full flaps, slowed the airplane to about 40 mph, and the airplane “settled in between trees” about 200 ft beyond the end of the runway. The airplane came to rest upright in a wooded area off the departure end of the runway with the nose of the airplane pointed back toward the runway. A postcrash fire ensued. A witness reported that she observed the airplane take off and climb to an altitude of about 100 ft above the trees at the departure end of the runway. The airplane then made a sharp left turn, the left wing impacted a tree, and the airplane descended into terrain. She further stated that the airplane’s nose d
Probable cause
The pilot’s exceedance of the airplane’s takeoff performance limitations, which prevented the airplane from gaining sufficient altitude to clear the trees off the departure end of the runway.
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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.
