Cessna 170B accident near Anchorage, Alaska, August 23, 2004
On August 23, 2004 at about 4:40 am local time, a Cessna 170B, registered N8238A, was substantially damaged in an accident near Anchorage, Alaska (Lake Hood Strip airport). 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
The pilot's failure to maintain directional control during the landing roll due to the restricted movement of the rudder pedals from his headset cord, which resulted in the airplane exiting the runway and nosing down.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 23, 2004 · about 4:40 am local time
- Place
- Anchorage, Alaska · Lake Hood Strip · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 170B · all 170Bs on the register
- Registration
- N8238A · registry record · serial 25090
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The private pilot said during the landing roll the airplane suddenly exited the runway to the left for no apparent reason. He reported that once off the runway, the airplane nosed down, and came to a stop. The pilot said there were no known mechanical anomalies with the airplane prior to the accident. The airplane sustained structural damage to the left wing, landing gear attachments, and fuselage. An airport police officer who interviewed the pilot at the accident site reported the pilot told him he was unable to use the rudder pedals because his headset cord was wrapped around them.
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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 273 hours in all; 65 in this make and model; 20 in the last 90 days; 20 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Maximum gross weight: 2,200 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-300-A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: NIN Ninilchik AK at 9:45 pm
- Destination: Z41 Anchorage AK
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 13, 1,078 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°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.