Cessna 170B accident near Dillingham, Alaska, March 21, 1998
On March 21, 1998 at about 9:18 pm local time, a Cessna 170B, registered N3179B, was substantially damaged in an accident near Dillingham, Alaska (Dillingham 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 pilot-in-command's decision to relinquish controls to the student pilot in the left seat during practice landings, and the pilot-in-command's failure to maintain directional control. A factor contributing to this accident was the pilot-in-command's lack of certification as a flight instructor.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 21, 1998 · about 9:18 pm local time
- Place
- Dillingham, Alaska · Dillingham · 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
- N3179B · registry record · serial 170-25421
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot-in-command held a private pilot certificate and was seated in the right seat. He did not hold a flight instructor certificate. The airplane's co-owner was a student pilot and was seated in the left seat. During the second touch-and-go landing, with the pilot-in-command allowing the student pilot to manipulate the flight controls, the airplane bounced and ground looped to the right. The left wing contacted the ground, and the airplane nosed down.
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: 220 hours in all; 90 in this make and model; 17 in the last 90 days; 6 in the last 30 days; 220 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,641 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 15, 1997; 136 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,050 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental C-145 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 19, 6,404 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 250° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 25 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 6,000 ft
- Temperature: 36°F (2°C), dew point 19°F (-7°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:55 pm from DLG
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.