Cessna 170B accident near Tok, Alaska, October 16, 1985
On October 16, 1985 at about 7:30 pm local time, a Cessna 170B, registered N2491D, was substantially damaged in an accident near Tok, Alaska (Gardner Creek airport). 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 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
- October 16, 1985 · about 7:30 pm local time
- Place
- Tok, Alaska · Gardner Creek · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 170B · all 170Bs on the register
- Registration
- N2491D · no longer on the register · serial 20643
- 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 AN AIRSTRIP NEXT TO THE ALASKAN HIGHWAY. HE STATED THAT THERE WAS BRUSH ALONG THE EDGE OF THE STRIP WHICH WAS 'GROWN IN' & WAS HIGHER THAN HE HAD REALIZED. DURING THE LANDING, THE ACFT BOUNCED, THEN THE LEFT WING HIT A SMALL TREE WITH A DIAMETER OF 2 TO 2-1/2 INCHES. THE ACFT THEN TURNED & THE RIGHT MAIN GEAR WAS DAMAGED.
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: student
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 87 hours in all; 87 in this make and model; 71 in the last 90 days; 20 in the last 30 days; 71 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,991 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 2, 1985; 3 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,200 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental C-145 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: TKJ Tok AK at 2:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 300° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 40 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 12,000 ft; scat at 7,000 ft
- Temperature: 25°F (-4°C), dew point 21°F (-6°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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.
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.