Cessna 170B accident near West Glacier, Montana, May 21, 2006
On May 21, 2006 at about 4:30 pm local time, a Cessna 170B, registered N3477C, was substantially damaged in an accident near West Glacier, Montana (Mcclure Airstrip airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 3 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 attain sufficient airspeed for flight, his attempt to abort the takeoff, and the airplane's subsequent departure off the end of the runway. Contributing factors were the impacted fence and vegetation, and his total lack of experience in type of operation.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 21, 2006 · about 4:30 pm local time
- Place
- West Glacier, Montana · Mcclure Airstrip · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 170B · all 170Bs on the register
- Registration
- N3477C · registry record · serial 26520
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot said that he applied full throttle, and after a few seconds of acceleration decided that he had insufficient runway and airspeed for a safe departure. He aborted the takeoff, departed the end of the runway, and impacted a fence and vegetation. The left elevator and horizontal stabilizer were bent, and the tail wheel main leaf spring was broken. The pilot had recently purchased the airplane, and had approximately 10 hours of flight experience in it. All his tail wheel flight experience was in this airplane; he had a total of approximately 113 hours flight experience.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 113 hours in all; 10 in this make and model; 10 in the last 90 days; 10 in the last 30 days; 84 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: November 1, 2005
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 1, 2006; 15 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,200 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Franklin 6A165-B3 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: NONE West Glacier MT at 5:30 pm
- Destination: NONE
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 48°F (9°C)
- Altimeter: 29.80 inHg
- Observation at 4:55 pm from GPI, 3 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
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.