Cessna 170A accident near Wasilla, Alaska, May 28, 2011
On May 28, 2011, a Cessna 170A, registered N1742D, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (landing roll) near Wasilla, Alaska (Wasilla 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 loss of directional control during landing, which resulted in a runway excursion. Contributing to the accident were the effects of multiple modifications to the main and tailwheel landing gear through the supplemental type certificate and FAA field approval process, which adversely changed their geometry, and resulted in degraded controllability during landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 28, 2011
- Place
- Wasilla, Alaska · Wasilla · 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
- N1742D · no longer on the register · serial 20185
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot said that, when the tailwheel-equipped airplane touched down during a three-point landing, it immediately veered sharply to the left and exited the runway. She was unable to regain control before the airplane collided with a ditch. The airplane had recently been purchased, and the pilot did not have any flight time in the make and model prior to the purchase. The airplane had been modified with larger/taller main landing gears, larger diameter tires, and a tailwheel assembly from another model of airplane. The pilot said that when the previous owner demonstrated the airplane, he used heavy braking and excessive thrust to get the tailwheel to straighten out. He told her he always did wheel landings as opposed to three-point full stall landings. A postaccident examination of the airplane revealed that the rotational plane of the tailwheel was not horizontal/parallel to the ground. There was a pronounced negative camber (aft downward tilt), which caused the tailwheel to rotate forward when weight was applied. The tailwheel spring had been extended aft from its normal position, which added additional negative camber. An engineer from the Federal Aviation Administration aircraft certification office said adjustments to the tailwheel should have been made to make the tailwheel's plane of rotation horizontal. An examination of the airplane's airframe logbook revealed that the airplane's landing gear had been modified under a supplemental type certificate and multiple field approvals. The airplane had been inspected for maintenance conformity, but not engineering. Due to the multiple landing gear modifications, it is likely that the airplane's landing characteristics were degraded, requiring greater pilot vigilance and skill, particularly during landing.
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 landing (landing roll) defining event
- Runway excursion during landing (landing roll)
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing (landing roll)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- factor Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Understanding/comprehension › Maintenance personnel
- factor Organizational issues › Support/oversight/monitoring › Oversight › Oversight of reg compliance › FAA/Regulator
- factor Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Landing gear steering system › Damaged/degraded
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 653 hours in all; 29 in this make and model; 15 in the last 90 days; 11 in the last 30 days; 540 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: August 25, 2010
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,804 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 10, 2011
- Maximum gross weight: 2,200 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Cont Motor C145 SERIES (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PAAQ Palmer AK at 6:45 pm
- Destination: IYS Wasilla AK
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 21, 3,700 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 130° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 41°F (5°C)
- Altimeter: 29.97 inHg
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.
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.