Cessna 170B accident near Skwentna, Alaska, March 22, 1984
On March 22, 1984 at about 10:00 pm local time, a Cessna 170B, registered N4672C, was substantially damaged in an accident near Skwentna, Alaska (Trail Ridge 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 NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 22, 1984 · about 10:00 pm local time
- Place
- Skwentna, Alaska · Trail Ridge · 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
- N4672C · registry record · serial 25616
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT ELECTED TO LAND ON A SNOW COVERED STRIP THAT HAD A FROZEN SNOW CRUST & WAS RUTTED. HE STATED THAT DURING THE TOUCHDOWN, THE ACFT BOUNCED, THEN HE ELECTED TO GO AROUND. HOWEVER, THE ACFT TOUCHED DOWN AGAIN & BROKE THRU THE FROZEN CRUST, THEN NOSED OVER.
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
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 224 hours in all; 224 in this make and model; 4 in the last 90 days; 2 in the last 30 days; 169 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,883 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 10, 1983; 120 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,200 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Franklin O-300-A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Z-15 Birchwood AK at 11:00 am
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 5, 5,000 ft by 30 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 19°F (-7°C), dew point 5°F (-15°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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.