Cessna 170B accident near Dillingham, Alaska, March 19, 1987
On March 19, 1987 at about 7:20 pm local time, a Cessna 170B, registered N3439D, was substantially damaged in an accident near Dillingham, Alaska (Shannons Pond 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 19, 1987 · about 7:20 pm local time
- Place
- Dillingham, Alaska · Shannons Pond · 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
- N3439D · registry record · serial 26982
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AS THE PLT WAS TAKING OFF FROM A FROZEN LAKE WITH A SKI EQUIPPED ACFT, IT COLLIDED WITH A SNOWBANK & WAS DAMAGED. THE PLT RPRTD THAT HE HAD JUST LANDED A FEW MINUTES EARLIER & THAT THE WIND WAS BLOWING DIFFERENTLY WHEN HE TOOK OFF AGAIN. AFTER THE ACDNT, POLICE PERSONNEL NOTED THAT THE PLT HAD AN ODOR OF ALCOHOL ON HIS BREATH, AS WELL AS SLURRED SPEECH & SOME DIFFICULTY IN WALKING. WHEN HIS BREATH WAS CHECKED WITH AN INTOXIMETER 3000 TEST MACHINE, IT SHOWED AN ALCOHOL LVL THAT WAS EQUIVALENT TO 0.123% BAC. THE PLTS LAST FAA MEDICAL EXAM WAS ON 10/13/78; HIS LAST BFR DATE WASN'T ESTABLISHED.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; single-engine sea
- Flight time: 1,200 hours in all; 700 in this make and model; 50 in the last 90 days; 10 in the last 30 days; 1,100 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (expired)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection
- Maximum gross weight: 2,200 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-300-D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 190° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 30 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 30°F (-1°C), dew point 18°F (-8°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:27 pm
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.