Cessna 170 accident near Rampart, Alaska, July 11, 2021
On July 11, 2021 at about 8:30 pm local time, a 1954 Cessna 170, registered N2583C, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near Rampart, 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 selection of unsuitable terrain for landing, which resulted in a nose over.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 11, 2021 · about 8:30 pm local time
- Place
- Rampart, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 170 B, built 1954 · all 170s on the register
- Registration
- N2583C · registry record · serial 26227
- 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 conducted an off-airport landing after the engine began to run rough; however, he stated to responding law enforcement that he was “testing the surface to see if it was suitable for landing” when the main landing gear contacted high vegetation and the airplane nosed over, resulting in substantial damage to the left wing and empennage. Postaccident examination of the airplane and a test run of the engine on the airframe revealed no evidence of any mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation.
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
- Nose over/nose down during landing defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Pilot
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Terrain › Rough terrain › Response/compensation
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 145.7 hours in all; 94.1 in this make and model; 32.3 in the last 90 days; 22.6 in the last 30 days; 104.5 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: September 9, 2020
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,143.5 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 1, 2020
- Maximum gross weight: 2,200 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental C-145 (piston); 1,210 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: BTT Bettles AK at 7:00 pm
- Destination: BCV Birchwood AK
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 140° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 12,000 ft
- Temperature: 63°F (17°C), dew point 52°F (11°C)
- Altimeter: 29.89 inHg
- Observation at 11:52 am from PATA, 54 miles away
Weather report (METAR): PATA 111952Z 14004KT 10SM OVC120 17/11 A2989 RMK AO2 SLP124 T01670106 $
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight 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.
Other NTSB records under N2583C the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number ANC21LA059.