Cessna 170B accident near Iliamna, Alaska, September 14, 2013
On September 14, 2013 at about 4:00 am local time, a 1954 Cessna 170B, registered N2736C, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (landing roll) near Iliamna, Alaska. 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 inadvertent encounter with a mound while landing on a remote airstrip.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 14, 2013 · about 4:00 am local time
- Place
- Iliamna, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 170B, built 1954 · all 170Bs on the register
- Registration
- N2736C · no longer on the register · serial 26280
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot of a tailwheel-equipped airplane reported that he was landing on a remote airstrip. During the landing roll, a gust of wind forced the airplane slightly right of centerline about midfield. The right main landing gear then contacted an approximate 30-degree upsloping hummock (mound). The right main tire burst and the right main wheel imbedded in the mound. The airplane subsequently pivoted forward and left, with the left wing contacting the ground, before coming to rest upright. The impact resulted in substantial damage to the left wing. The pilot added that with the exception of the right main tire burst, there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures of 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
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing (landing roll)
- Nose over/nose down during landing (landing roll) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Environmental issues › Physical environment › Terrain › Rough terrain › Effect on operation
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 892 hours in all; 608 in this make and model; 30 in the last 90 days; 15 in the last 30 days; 862 as pilot in command; 0 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,872 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 20, 2013; 32 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,200 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Franklin 6A-350-C1 (piston); 1,489 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Iliamna AK at 10:30 pm
- Destination: Iliamna AK
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 100° at 11 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 2,700 ft
- Temperature: 52°F (11°C), dew point 48°F (9°C)
- Altimeter: 29.75 inHg
- Observation at 7:53 pm from ILI, 53 miles away
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.