Cessna 170B accident near Oakland, Alabama, December 29, 1999
On December 29, 1999 at about 10:00 pm local time, a Cessna 170B, registered N3276A, was substantially damaged in an accident near Oakland, Alabama (Private 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 verify that his seat was locked prior to takeoff. The subsequent bounce on takeoff enabled the seat to shift aft thereby reducing the pilot's access to controls leading to the inadvertent loss of control and ground impact with trees. Contributing factors were rough and uneven runway surface and the trees.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 29, 1999 · about 10:00 pm local time
- Place
- Oakland, Alabama · Private · 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
- N3276A · no longer on the register · serial 25920
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
According to the pilot, as the airplane accelerated for the takeoff, the landing gear rolled over a rut in the runway surface and the airplane bounced. When the airplane bounced, the pilot reported that his seat moved rearward, he could not reach the flight controls, and he lost control of the airplane. The airplane veered off the left side of the runway and collided with trees. An examination of the runway surface revealed that the clay and gravel runway had ruts in the center of the takeoff area. The examination of the airplane seat assembly revealed that both the seat rails and the seat locking pins were in serviceable condition.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 2,628 hours in all; 48 in this make and model; 2 in the last 90 days; 1 in the last 30 days; 2,508 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,607 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 1, 1999; 14 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,200 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental C-145 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 12, 2,000 ft by 40 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 240° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:53 pm from MSL
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.
Other NTSB records under N3276A the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.