Cessna 170B accident near North Pole, Alaska, December 18, 1988
On December 18, 1988 at about 4:05 pm local time, a Cessna 170B, registered N3138B, was substantially damaged in an accident near North Pole, Alaska (Laklory Airstrip 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
- December 18, 1988 · about 4:05 pm local time
- Place
- North Pole, Alaska · Laklory Airstrip · 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
- N3138B · registry record · serial 25380
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT RPRTD THAT DRG AN APCH TO LAND, A X-WIND CAUSED THE ACFT TO DRIFT TO THE LEFT. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE LEFT WING STRUCK TREES ALONG THE EDGE OF THE RWY & THE ACFT CRASHED. THE PLT RPRTD THE WIND WAS FROM 120 DEG AT 6 GUSTING 10 KTS.
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: 102 hours in all; 13 in this make and model; 10 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,873 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 17, 1988; 19 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,200 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-300-A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 24, 2,500 ft by 60 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 120° at 6 knots, gusting 10
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 20,000 ft
- Temperature: 21°F (-6°C), dew point 18°F (-8°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
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.