Cessna 170B accident near Fairbanks, Alaska, June 19, 1985
On June 19, 1985 at about 3:54 pm local time, a Cessna 170B, registered N4570C, was substantially damaged in an accident near Fairbanks, Alaska (Fairbanks International 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
- June 19, 1985 · about 3:54 pm local time
- Place
- Fairbanks, Alaska · Fairbanks International · 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
- N4570C · registry record · serial 25514
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
PLT LOST CONTROL ON LANDING AND GROUND LOOPED. WX AND FIELD CONDITIONS NOT A FACTOR.
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: 80 hours in all; 50 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,292 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 1, 1985
- Maximum gross weight: 2,200 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-360D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: FAI Fairbanks AK at 10:00 am
- Destination: FAI Fairbanks AK
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0, 3,600 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 070° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 80 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 7,500 ft; not recorded at 3,800 ft
- Temperature: 55°F (13°C), dew point 45°F (7°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:53 am from FAI
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.
Other NTSB records under N4570C the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.