Cessna 170B accident near Driggs, Idaho, August 11, 2015
On August 11, 2015 at about 9:00 pm local time, a 1952 Cessna 170B, registered N2369D, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (flare/touchdown) near Driggs, Idaho (Driggs-Reed Memorial airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries; 1 other was unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain directional control during the landing roll, which resulted in a runway excursion and a nose over.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 11, 2015 · about 9:00 pm local time · cases in 2015
- Place
- Driggs, Idaho · Driggs-Reed Memorial · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries; 1 other was unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 170B, built 1952 · all 170Bs on the register
- Registration
- N2369D · registry record · serial 20521
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot of the tailwheel equipped airplane reported that during touchdown for landing, a gust of wind blew the airplane to the right of the runway centerline. The pilot attempted to correct with control inputs, but the airplane continued to the right and exited the runway. The right main landing gear wheel dug in to the dirt and the airplane came to rest inverted. The airplane sustained substantial damage to fuselage, wings, horizontal stabilizer, and rudder. The wind reported from a weather station at the airport about the time of the accident were from 250 degrees at 7 knots. The pilot reported he was landing runway 21. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation.
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
What happened, in order
- Loss of control on ground during landing (flare/touchdown) defining event
- Runway excursion during landing (flare/touchdown)
- Nose over/nose down during landing (flare/touchdown)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Directional control › Not attained/maintained
Pilot
- Certificate: military, private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 1,567 hours in all; 30 in this make and model; 220 in the last 90 days; 50 in the last 30 days; 1,300 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: April 16, 2014
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Passenger
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,850 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 10, 2015
- Maximum gross weight: 2,200 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-300-A (piston); 2,880 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: RAP Rapid City SD at 5:00 pm
- Destination: DIJ Driggs ID
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 21, 7,300 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 250° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 88°F (31°C), dew point 43°F (6°C)
- Altimeter: 30.26 inHg
- Observation at 8:56 pm from KDIJ
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
5 documents, released by the NTSB on September 11, 2015. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Photo 1 – Rudder and Horizontal Stabilizer (Courtesy of FAA) | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Photo 2 – Left Wing (Courtesy of FAA) | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 4 | Photo 3 – Right Wing (Courtesy of FAA) | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 5 | Photo 4 – Fuselage (Courtesy of FAA) | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N2369D on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Cessna 170 2,085 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Cessna 72,684 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Continental O-300-A 15 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Driggs/Reed Memorial · nearest airport
- Rapid City Regional · departed from
- Accidents and incidents in Idaho 1,535 since 1982 · 288 in the last ten years
- Idaho 4,199 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/GAA15CA223.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.