Cessna 170B accident near Havre, Montana, April 10, 2006
On April 10, 2006 at about 2:00 pm local time, a Cessna 170B, registered N2831C, was substantially damaged in an accident near Havre, Montana (Havre City-County 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).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's improper starting procedures in attempting to hand-prop the airplane's engine. Contributing factors were the discharged battery, the failure of the right parking brake and the hangar which the aircraft collided with.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 10, 2006 · about 2:00 pm local time
- Place
- Havre, Montana · Havre City-County Airport · 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
- N2831C · registry record · serial 26374
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot/owner discovered the airplane's battery had discharged over the winter months, and was attempting to start the airplane by hand propping it. The pilot reported that he had set the parking brake, and that the right brake failed during the starting procedure; the airplane taxied into a hangar without an occupant on board. The outboard two feet of the right wing was bent and wrinkled, and the right flap was pushed into the fuselage. The Cessna 170B maintenance manual states that a discharged battery should be charged on the ground before attempting flight. The Federal Aviation Administration’s Flight Training Handbook, AC 61-21A, states: "It is recommended that an engine never be 'hand propped' unless a qualified person thoroughly familiar with the operation of all the controls is seated at the controls and the brakes set."
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: 2,100 hours in all; 1,750 in this make and model; 0 in the last 90 days; 0 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: September 1, 2005
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,550 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 1, 2005; 50 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,200 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-300 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Havre MT
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 300° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 10,000 ft
- Temperature: 37°F (3°C), dew point 30°F (-1°C)
- Altimeter: 29.67 inHg
- Observation at 1:55 pm from HVR
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.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number SEA06CA073.