Cessna 170B accident near Blackburn, Alaska, July 15, 1986
On July 15, 1986 at about 7:50 am local time, a Cessna 170B, registered N4649C, was substantially damaged in an accident near Blackburn, Alaska. It was a business 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
- July 15, 1986 · about 7:50 am local time
- Place
- Blackburn, Alaska
- 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
- N4649C · no longer on the register · serial 25593
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
ACFT UNDERSHOT APCH AND CRASHED INTO A RIVER WHILE EXECUTING A LOW CIRCLING APCH TO LAND AT A NEARBY GRAVEL BAR. PLT STATED THAT HE HAD BEEN ON DUTY FOR ABOUT 18 HRS, HAD FLOWN 8.4 HRS THAT DAY HAULING FISH AND THAT HE WAS TIRED AND 'PLAYING AROUND'. ACFT SANK IN 25 - 30 FT WATER AND WAS NOT RECOVERED.
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: 1,461 hours in all; 592 in this make and model; 120 in the last 90 days; 75 in the last 30 days; 1,415 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,541 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 1, 1986; 138 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,050 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-300 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: GAL Galena AK at 1:30 am
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Wind: from 090° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.