Cessna 170A accident near North Pole, Alaska, March 5, 2004
On March 5, 2004 at about 3:30 pm local time, a Cessna 170A, registered N515N, was substantially damaged in an accident near North Pole, Alaska (Bradley Sky Ranch airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's delayed response in initiating an aborted takeoff, which resulted in an overrun and collision with a snowbank.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 5, 2004 · about 3:30 pm local time
- Place
- North Pole, Alaska · Bradley Sky Ranch · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 170A · all 170As on the register
- Registration
- N515N · registry record · serial 19987
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The private certificated pilot attempted to takeoff in his ski-equipped tailwheel airplane from a snow covered runway. He reported that the airplane didn't seem to accelerate as quickly as it normally did, which he attributed to the snow condition. The airplane lifted off and settled onto the runway three times before the pilot aborted the takeoff. He was unable to stop the airplane on the runway, and it ran off the end and collided with a snowbank, receiving substantial damage to the wings, fuselage, and horizontal stabilizer. The pilot wrote in his report to the NTSB that the accident could have been prevented "by aborting the takeoff in a timely manner."
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: 1,114 hours in all; 815 in this make and model; 30 in the last 90 days; 15 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,910 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 14, 2003; 276 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,250 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-300A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: North Pole AK
- Destination: Fort Yukon AK
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 33, 3,400 ft by 80 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: -9°F (-23°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
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.