Cessna 170B accident near Cooper Landing, Alaska, August 29, 1999
On August 29, 1999 at about 9:40 pm local time, a Cessna 170B, registered N3402D, was destroyed in an accident near Cooper Landing, Alaska. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's inadvertent stall.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 29, 1999 · about 9:40 pm local time
- Place
- Cooper Landing, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 170B · all 170Bs on the register
- Registration
- N3402D · no longer on the register · serial 26945
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The private certificated pilot departed on a cross-country flight from a lake in a float equipped airplane. He intended to fly over glaciers in the area, and return to a private lake. The airplane did not arrive, and was reported overdue. Search personnel located the wreckage at 3,100 feet msl, two days later. The wreckage was resting in a near vertical attitude in mountainous terrain. Except for the empennage, a portion of one wing, and the floats, the airplane was consumed by fire. VFR conditions prevailed. A postaccident examination of the airplane did not reveal any mechanical malfunction.
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; single-engine sea
- Flight time: 600 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,148 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 24, 1999
- Maximum gross weight: 2,200 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A1A (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: 52Z Summit Lake AK at 4:20 pm
- Destination: Anchorage AK
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 127° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 52°F (11°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:53 pm from PAS, 26 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.