Cessna 170B accident near Anchorage, Alaska, August 29, 1988
On August 29, 1988 at about 4:39 am local time, a Cessna 170B, registered N8266A, was substantially damaged in an accident near Anchorage, Alaska (Merrill 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
- August 29, 1988 · about 4:39 am local time
- Place
- Anchorage, Alaska · Merrill · 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
- N8266A · no longer on the register · serial 25118
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT WAS PRACTICING TOUCH-&-GO LANDINGS. ON THE FIRST LANDING, THE ACFT BOUNCED & A SUCCESSFUL GO-AROUND WAS MADE. DURING THE SECOND LANDING, THE PLT LOST DIRECTIONAL CONTROL OF THE ACFT & IT WENT OFF THE LEFT SIDE OF THE RWY & 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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 70 hours in all; 16 in this make and model; 70 in the last 90 days; 14 in the last 30 days; 29 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,023 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 3, 1988; 45 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,050 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 24, 3,999 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 260° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 10,000 ft; scat at 6,000 ft
- Temperature: 63°F (17°C), dew point 48°F (9°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:39 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.