Cessna 170B accident near Palmer, Alaska, May 6, 1996
On May 6, 1996 at about 10:00 pm local time, a Cessna 170B, registered N3193B, was destroyed in an accident near Palmer, Alaska (Private Owned Airstrip airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain control of the airplane during takeoff.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 6, 1996 · about 10:00 pm local time
- Place
- Palmer, Alaska · Private Owned Airstrip · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 170B · all 170Bs on the register
- Registration
- N3193B · no longer on the register · serial 25436
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot stated that during takeoff he applied two notches of flap because the first notch did not work. As he was climbing out, the airplane began to settle and he applied full flaps. The airplane struck the tops of the trees and crashed to the ground. The pilot had surrendered his student pilot certificate, which did not have any endorsements for solo flight or operations in tailwheel airplanes, three weeks prior to the accident flight.
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
- Flight time: 400 hours in all; 300 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,088 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, March 18, 1996; 17 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,200 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-300 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: AK at 5:00 pm
- Destination: Lake Creek AK
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 27, 1,600 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 270° at 6 knots, gusting 8
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 55°F (13°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.