Cessna 170B accident near Dillingham, Alaska, June 6, 2004
On June 6, 2004 at about 7:00 pm local time, a Cessna 170B, registered N2631D, was substantially damaged in an accident near Dillingham, 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
The pilot's selection of unsuitable terrain for landing, which resulted in the airplane nosing over during the landing flare/touchdown. A factor contributing to the accident was soft tundra terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 6, 2004 · about 7:00 pm local time
- Place
- Dillingham, Alaska · 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
- N2631D · registry record · serial 20783
- 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 was planning to test a remote tundra-covered area for its suitability as a landing strip. The area selected was adjacent to a river. The pilot said he configured the airplane with 20 degrees of flaps, and touched the main landing gear tires on the tundra to test the surface. The tires dug into the soft tundra and the airplane nosed over. The airplane received damage to the propeller, fuselage, vertical stabilizer, and the rudder.
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: 1,240 hours in all; 1,150 in this make and model; 34 in the last 90 days; 17 in the last 30 days; 1,170 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: June 7, 2003
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,507 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 6, 2003; 104 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,200 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-300C (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PADL Dillingham AK at 1:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 125° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 25 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 43°F (6°C)
- Altimeter: 29.96 inHg
- Observation at 1:48 pm from PADL, 8 miles away
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.