Cessna 170B accident near Fayetteville, Arkansas, April 18, 1999
On April 18, 1999 at about 9:30 pm local time, a Cessna 170B, registered N3251A, was substantially damaged in an accident near Fayetteville, Arkansas (Wedington Wood airport). It was a personal 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 pilot's failure to obtain the proper climb rate resulting in an inadvertent stall. Factors were the rising terrain and the variable winds.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 18, 1999 · about 9:30 pm local time
- Place
- Fayetteville, Arkansas · Wedington Wood · 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
- N3251A · registry record · serial 25895
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot failed to obtain the proper climb rate after takeoff resulting in an inadvertent stall into the trees at the departure end of the airstrip. The 3,600 foot long grass airstrip was surrounded by rising terrain. The 1,035 hour pilot stated that the flight encountered 'shifting breezes and sink, and the terrain rose faster than we did.' The 1953 vintage airplane came to rest wedged atop 30 foot oak and elm trees in a residential subdivision. The winds at the Drake Field Airport (FYV), located 6 miles west of the accident site, were reported to be from 250 degrees at 9 knots, gusting to 19 knots. According to the airplane's flight manual the airplane should have been capable of climbing at 600 feet per minute under the existing weather conditions and calculated gross weight of the 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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 1,035 hours in all; 900 in this make and model; 18 in the last 90 days; 4 in the last 30 days; 935 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,700 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 2, 1998; 77 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,200 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-300-A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 67M at 9:30 pm
- Destination: VBT Bentonville AR
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 17, 3,600 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 250° at 9 knots, gusting 19
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 30°F (-1°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:53 pm from FYV, 6 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
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.