Cessna 170B accident near Anchorage, Alaska, March 17, 2010
On March 17, 2010 at about 11:30 pm local time, a Cessna 170B, registered N3492C, was substantially damaged in an accident during taxi (to runway) near Anchorage, Alaska (Lake Hood 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 structural failure of the right main landing gear leg, resulting in the collapse of the landing gear.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 17, 2010 · about 11:30 pm local time
- Place
- Anchorage, Alaska · Lake Hood · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 170B · all 170Bs on the register
- Registration
- N3492C · registry record · serial 26535
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airline transport pilot was on a personal flight in a ski-equipped airplane. The pilot said that he was taxiing for takeoff when the right main landing gear leg broke near where the leg exits the fuselage. When the leg broke the right wing impacted the ground, bending the wing from the aileron outward toward the tip. An examination of the break showed a single linear break perpendicular to the leading edge of the gear leg. The break was about 6 inches from the gear leg mounting bolt hole, at the widest portion of the gear leg. The gear leg was retained for metallurgical examination by the Federal Aviation Administration.
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
What happened, in order
- Aircraft structural failure during taxi (to runway) defining event
- Landing gear collapse during taxi (to runway)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Main landing gear › Failure
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight engineer
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 16,300 hours in all; 1,600 in this make and model
- Last flight review: January 8, 2009
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,834 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 11, 2009
- Maximum gross weight: 2,150 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Cont Motor O-300 SER (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: LHD Anchorage AK
- Destination: LHD Anchorage AK
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 050° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 37°F (3°C), dew point 16°F (-9°C)
- Altimeter: 30.12 inHg
- Observation at 3:53 pm from LHD
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.
Other NTSB records under N3492C the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.