Cessna 170B accident near Anchorage, Alaska, April 29, 1997
On April 29, 1997 at about 4:00 am local time, a Cessna 170B, registered N3417C, was substantially damaged in an accident near Anchorage, Alaska (Goose Bay airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the flight instructor's inadequate preflight by failing to ensure his seat was properly latched, and his resultant failure (or inability) to recover from the student pilot's bounced landing. A factor associated with the accident was: the student pilot's improper flare during the landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 29, 1997 · about 4:00 am local time
- Place
- Anchorage, Alaska · Goose Bay · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 170B · all 170Bs on the register
- Registration
- N3417C · registry record · serial 26460
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
A flight instructor (CFI) was providing pre-solo flight instruction to a student pilot in a tailwheel equipped airplane. The student was practicing touch-and-go landings, and his landing approach was slightly high and fast. The airplane touched down on the runway and bounced upward to about 10 ft above the ground. The instructor added power, and attempted to correct the situation. The airplane touched down a second time, and again bounced into the air. The instructor's seat suddenly released and slid aft, preventing him from reaching the flight controls. The airplane touched down a third time along the left side of the runway. The left main landing gear broke at its fuselage attach point, and the left wing struck the ground. An inspection of the instructor's seat did not reveal any malfunction of the latching mechanism. The student pilot had accrued 14.5 hours of total instructional flight time, with 6.8 hours of instruction accrued in the accident airplane.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 10,000 hours in all; 200 in this make and model; 75 in the last 90 days; 25 in the last 30 days; 4,000 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection
- Maximum gross weight: 2,200 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-300-A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Z41 AK
- Destination: Z40
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 25, 3,000 ft by 25 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 55°F (13°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 | |||
| Passengers | 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.