Cessna 170B accident near Ninilchick, Alaska, June 8, 2005
On June 8, 2005 at about 7:30 pm local time, a Cessna 170B, registered N2551D, was substantially damaged in an accident near Ninilchick, 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 failure to maintain control of the airplane during the landing roll on a beach, which resulted in an on-ground collision with terrain. A factor associated with the accident is a tailwind.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 8, 2005 · about 7:30 pm local time · cases in 2005
- Place
- Ninilchick, 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
- N2551D · registry record · serial 20703
- 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 landing toward the south on a beach. He said that during the landing roll, a tailwind pushed the tail of the airplane to the left, and the outboard end of the left wing, and the outboard end of the left elevator, struck the ground. The air valve stem of the left main wheel tundra tire was sheered off, and the left main tire deflated. The pilot indicated that the airplane received damage to the leading edge of the left wing, the outboard portion of the wing spar, several wing skin panels, and the balance weight of the left elevator.
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: 800 hours in all; 783 in this make and model; 6 in the last 90 days; 4 in the last 30 days; 800 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: August 1, 2003
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,921 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 1, 2005; 6 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,200 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A1F6 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PAMR Anchorage AK at 1:30 pm
- Destination: Ninilchick AK
- Flight plan: VFR
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 360° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 2,000 ft; a few clouds at 500 ft
- Temperature: 50°F (10°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.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N2551D on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Cessna 170 2,085 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Cessna 72,676 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A1F6 13 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Merrill Field · departed from
- Accidents and incidents in Alaska 5,932 since 1982 · 825 in the last ten years
- Alaska 9,142 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/ANC05LA081.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.