Cessna 170B accident near Alton, New Hampshire, December 22, 2007
On December 22, 2007 at about 5:30 pm local time, a Cessna 170B, registered N3070A, was substantially damaged in an accident near Alton, New Hampshire (Locke Lake 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 maintain clearance above a frozen lake while maneuvering. Factors contributing to the accident were the pilot's attempt of the low altitude maneuver, and unfavorable lighting conditions.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 22, 2007 · about 5:30 pm local time
- Place
- Alton, New Hampshire · Locke Lake Airport · 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
- N3070A · registry record · serial 25714
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot stated that he took three friends on a short cross-country pleasure flight. The airplane was entering a downwind leg at the destination airport, when the pilot decided to make a low pass over an adjacent lake, near a friend's property. The pilot said that his depth perception was negatively affected due to the flat light and snow on the ground. While maneuvering over the lake, the right main landing gear contacted the snowy frozen surface, which resulted in the right wing impacting the surface. The airplane came to rest upright on the frozen lake, and sustained substantial damage to the right wing and firewall. The reported weather at an airport about 10 miles north of the accident site, about the time of the accident, included calm winds and an overcast ceiling at 2,200 feet.
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: 1,700 hours in all; 1,673 in this make and model; 95 in the last 90 days; 11 in the last 30 days; 1,700 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: May 1, 2007
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,973 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 1, 2007; 98 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,200 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental C145-2A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SFM Sanford ME at 5:00 pm
- Destination: NH15 Alton NH
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 2,200 ft
- Temperature: 23°F (-5°C), dew point 21°F (-6°C)
- Altimeter: 30.59 inHg
- Observation at 5:35 pm from LCI, 10 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.