Cessna 170B accident near Fairbanks, Alaska, September 20, 2011
On September 20, 2011 at about 3:15 am local time, a Cessna 170B, registered N2810C, was substantially damaged in an accident during takeoff near Fairbanks, Alaska (Clear Creek 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 failure to maintain control of the airplane while taking off with a gusting crosswind.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 20, 2011 · about 3:15 am local time · cases in 2011
- Place
- Fairbanks, Alaska · Clear Creek Airport · cases near this airport · 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
- N2810C · no longer on the register · serial 26353
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that he was taking off in his tailwheel-equipped airplane on a turf runway with a gusty, left crosswind. As the airplane accelerated, a gust of wind resulted in the airplane momentarily becoming airborne. The airplane settled back to the runway in a left-wing-low attitude and the left main landing gear contacted brush on the left side of the runway. The airplane ground-looped to the left, striking the right wing and right horizontal stabilizer on the runway. The right wing, right horizontal stabilizer, and empennage sustained substantial damage. The pilot indicated that there were no preaccident mechanical problems with the airplane.
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
- Loss of control on ground during takeoff defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during takeoff
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Directional control › Not attained/maintained
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Wind › Gusts › Contributed to outcome
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 162 hours in all; 95 in this make and model; 24 in the last 90 days; 11 in the last 30 days; 99 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: August 27, 2010
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,188 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 18, 2011; 29 hours since
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Cont Motor C145 SERIES (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: FAI Fairbanks AK at 9:30 pm
- Destination: 2AK2 Fairbanks AK
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 13
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 090° at 18 knots, gusting 29
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Temperature: 55°F (13°C), dew point 34°F (1°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
1 document, released by the NTSB on December 16, 2011. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N2810C: not on the register today · the record of its deregistration
- Cessna 170 2,085 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Cessna 72,682 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Cont Motor C145 SERIES 1,828 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Clear Creek Airport · nearest airport
- Fairbanks International · 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/ANC11CA096.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.