Cessna 170B accident near Chicken, Alaska, April 17, 1996
On April 17, 1996 at about 10:00 pm local time, a Cessna 170B, registered N39781, was substantially damaged in an accident near Chicken, 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 first pilot's failure to maintain clearance with a tree. Factors in the accident were the first pilot's inadequate preflight planning and preparation and soft snow conditions.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 17, 1996 · about 10:00 pm local time
- Place
- Chicken, Alaska · 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
- N39781 · registry record · serial 25723
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The certificated private pilot (first pilot), occupying the left seat, and a certificated airline transport pilot/flight instructor (second pilot), occupying the right seat, were departing a remote airstrip that was a 1,400 feet long area of compacted snow. The surface of the snow was soft and rough. By mutual agreement, the first pilot agreed to maintain directional control of the airplane during the takeoff roll. The second pilot agreed to manipulate the flaps to shorten the airplane's takeoff roll. During the takeoff roll, both pilots were focused in front of the airplane, and the left wing struck a tree, damaging the wing spar. The second pilot reported that the wind was from the east about 10 knots. The temperature was about 40 degrees F and the takeoff area sloped uphill about 1.5 degrees.
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: 105 hours in all; 80 in this make and model; 20 in the last 90 days; 1 in the last 30 days; 34 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,148 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 18, 1995; 65 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,200 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental C-145-A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Destination: CKX AK
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0, 1,400 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 045° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 60 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 50°F (10°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
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.