Cessna 170A accident near Skwentna, Alaska, September 25, 2003
On September 25, 2003 at about 10:00 pm local time, a Cessna 170A, registered N9006A, was substantially damaged in an accident near Skwentna, Alaska. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
An overload failure of the axle retaining nut/bolt assembly, which resulted in the separation of the axle/wheel assembly, and subsequent collapse of the right main landing gear strut during the landing roll.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 25, 2003 · about 10:00 pm local time
- Place
- Skwentna, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 170A · all 170As on the register
- Registration
- N9006A · no longer on the register · serial 18761
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The commercial certificated pilot was landing on a remote gravel area that was about 1,000 feet long, and 30 feet wide. The pilot said that during the landing roll, the airplane's right main landing gear suddenly collapsed. As the airplane slid on the gravel, the right gear strut was torn out of the fuselage, and the airplane received additional damage to the fuselage and right wing. After the accident, the pilot said he examined the right gear strut and discovered the right axle and wheel assembly were missing from the outboard end of the gear strut. After a search, the pilot located the wheel assembly and discovered that the nuts utilized to secure the attaching axle bolts to the gear strut, were stripped from their respective bolts. The pilot said he decided to wait until the next day before activating his airplane's emergency locator transmitter. He further said he decided to destroy his airplane by setting it on fire, as it would have been economically unfeasible to pay for repairs and helicopter transportation charges to remove the airplane from its remote location. The airplane was observed by search personnel as having burned.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 5,000 hours in all; 100 in this make and model; 150 in the last 90 days; 75 in the last 30 days; 5,000 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: February 28, 2003
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,400 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 30, 2003; 100 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,200 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental C-145 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Skwentna AK
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 30 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 8,000 ft
- Temperature: 39°F (4°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.