Cessna 170B accident near Hope, Alaska, September 16, 1988
On September 16, 1988 at about 2:40 am local time, a Cessna 170B, registered N170LA, was substantially damaged in an accident near Hope, Alaska (Hope 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
- September 16, 1988 · about 2:40 am local time
- Place
- Hope, Alaska · Hope · 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
- N170LA · registry record · serial 26685
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ARPT WAS LOCATED IN AN AREA BETWEEN 2 MTNS. IT HAD TWO WINDSOCKS; ONE WAS AT RWY LEVEL; THE OTHER WAS ABOVE THE TREETOP LEVEL. THE PLT RPRTD THAT THE LOWER WINDSOCK SHOWED THE WIND WAS FAVORING RWY 16, BUT WAS SHIFTING ABOUT 45 DEG TO EITHER SIDE OF THE RWY HEADING; THE OTHER WINDSOCK WAS INDICATING A LEFT CROSSWIND. AS THE ACFT WAS ABOUT TO TAKEOFF, A GUST OF WIND WAS ENCTRD & THE RIGHT WING RAISED. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE ACFT VEERED LEFT & THE LEFT WING STRUCK A TREE.
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, private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,745 hours in all; 43 in this make and model; 12,191 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,065 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 17, 1988; 43 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: 5HO at 9:40 pm
- Destination: Kenai AK
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 16, 2,000 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 070° at 25 knots, gusting 35
- Visibility: 30 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 57°F (14°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.