Cessna 170B accident near Port Alsworth, Alaska, September 5, 1998
On September 5, 1998 at about 11:00 pm local time, a Cessna 170B, registered N4368M, was destroyed in an accident near Port Alsworth, Alaska. It was an instructional 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 solo student pilot's excessive application of brakes during taxi from landing. Factors associated with the accident were the pilot's selection of unsuitable terrain for a precautionary landing, rough terrain, and the fuel leak from the fuel tank vent.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 5, 1998 · about 11:00 pm local time
- Place
- Port Alsworth, Alaska · 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
- N4368M · no longer on the register · serial 26685
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The solo student pilot was on a cross country training flight. He stated that the airplane had been experiencing symptoms of carburetor ice, so he decided execute an off airport landing on a ridgetop gravel landing site to inspect the engine. The winds were light and variable. After landing, the tires hit a rut, he applied brakes, and the airplane nosed over. He indicated that fuel ran out of the tank vent, located just above the windscreen, and down over the engine. The airplane caught fire and was destroyed. The Emergency Locator Transmitter was consumed in the fire, and he was rescued the following day.
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: student
- Flight time: 150 hours in all; 150 in this make and model; 20 in the last 90 days; 10 in the last 30 days; 150 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,506 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 19, 1998; 20 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,050 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-300A (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: Nikiski-Mcgahan AK at 2:30 pm
- Destination: AK
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 40 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 55°F (13°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.