Cessna 170B accident near Alturus, California, September 16, 2000
On September 16, 2000, a Cessna 170B, registered N4590C, was substantially damaged in an accident near Alturus, California (Alturas Municipal 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 inadequate compensation for the wind, and his failure to maintain directional control of the airplane during landing. A factor was the faded improperly maintained windsock.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 16, 2000
- Place
- Alturus, California · Alturas Municipal · 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
- N4590C · no longer on the register · serial 25534
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was unable to locate a windsock while circling the uncontrolled airport. He had obtained a preflight weather briefing from the FAA Red Bluff Flight Service Station with no adverse weather conditions noted; no local area wind information was obtained. He established a left pattern for runway 31; on final approach he determined there was a left crosswind for which he established a crab angle. On touchdown, the left wing came up, resulting in the right wing scraping the runway and a loss of directional control.
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; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: balloon; rotorcraft: glider; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 628 hours in all; 38 in this make and model; 8 in the last 90 days; 6 in the last 30 days; 524 as pilot in command; 19 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,950 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 18, 2000; 50 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,200 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental C-145-2 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: CCR Concord CA at 10:30 pm
- Destination: AAT Alturas CA
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 31, 4,301 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 270° at 5 knots, gusting 15
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 176°F (80°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.
Other NTSB records under N4590C 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.