Cessna 170B accident near Sulatna Cross, Alaska, March 17, 1990
On March 17, 1990, a Cessna 170B, registered N4659C, was substantially damaged in an accident near Sulatna Cross, Alaska. 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 PILOT FAILED TO ADEQUATELY ASSESS THE EXISTING SNOW CONDITIONS AND SURROUNDING TERRAIN (PREFLIGHT PLANNING) PRIOR TO TAKEOFF. CONTRIBUTING FACTORS WERE: THE LIGHTING CONDITIONS, THE PILOT'S OVER CONFIDENCE IN THE AIRPLANE'S PERFORMANCE CAPABILITIES AND THE SNOW COVERED TERRAIN.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 17, 1990 · cases in 1990
- Place
- Sulatna Cross, Alaska
- 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
- N4659C · registry record · serial 25603
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT STATED THAT HE WAS ATTEMPTING TO TAKE OFF FROM A FROZEN LAKE AT DUSK. LOOSE SNOW ON THE SURFACE OF THE LAKE ADVERSELY AFFECTED THE AIRPLANE'S TAKEOFF DISTANCE. THE PILOT SAID THAT SHORTLY AFTER LIFT OFF, THE AIRPLANE'S HORIZONTAL STABILIZER STRUCK A TREE, AND THAT HE MADE AN IMMEDIATE EMERGENCY LANDING. THE PILOT SAID THAT THE ACCIDENT COULD HAVE BEEN AVOIDED IF HE HAD WAITED FOR BETTER LIGHTING CONDITIONS, OR IF HE WOULD HAVE ABORTED THE TAKEOFF EARLY IN THE TAKEOFF ROLL.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,800 hours in all; 600 in this make and model; 2,800 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,200 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A1A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MCG Mcgrath AK at 8:50 pm
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 10,000 ft; scat at 6,000 ft
- Temperature: 25°F (-4°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.
Other NTSB records under N4659C the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N4659C on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Cessna 170 2,085 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Cessna 72,676 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A1A 601 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- MC Grath Airport · departed from
- Accidents and incidents in Alaska 5,932 since 1982 · 825 in the last ten years
- Alaska 9,142 aircraft registered
- Other NTSB records under N4659C 2 records · the number may have belonged to another aircraft at the time
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/ANC90LA043.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.