Cessna 170B accident near Willow, Alaska, July 17, 2004
On July 17, 2004 at about 5:45 am local time, a Cessna 170B, registered N4588C, was destroyed in an accident near Willow, Alaska. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 4 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
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.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 17, 2004 · about 5:45 am local time
- Place
- Willow, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 4 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 170B · all 170Bs on the register
- Registration
- N4588C · no longer on the register · serial 25532
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The private certificated pilot was returning from a round-robin VFR personal flight with three passengers. The flight was paralleling a rural highway, and was observed by a witness about 30 feet above the trees, southbound on the west side of the highway. The nose of the airplane appeared "slightly up." It then made a smooth right turn, about 180 degrees toward the north, nosed down about 45 degrees, and descended from view into the trees. Another witness reported that she observed the airplane northbound at a low altitude on the west side of the highway. The airplane appeared to be making a right banking turn, and then nosed down toward the trees. The airplane began a 3/4 spiral turn downward and disappeared into the trees. An on-site investigation disclosed that the airplane collided with several trees, and then struck soft ground in about a 45 degree nose down attitude. The cabin floor was oriented about 45 degrees to the right. Numerous broken tree limbs were observed about 50 feet above the impact site. The empennage was separated from the main fuselage about the forward attach point of the vertical stabilizer, and was located about 20 feet north of the main impact site. An examination of the engine revealed no evidence of any preimpact mechanical malfunctions.
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: 152 hours in all; 64 in this make and model; 23 in the last 90 days; 10 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: August 29, 2003
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,198 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 27, 2002; 185 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,200 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental C-145-2 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PATK Talkeetna AK
- Destination: PAMR Anchorage AK
- Flight plan: VFR
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 158° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 10,000 ft
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 54°F (12°C)
- Altimeter: 29.87 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
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.