Cessna 170B accident near Clark Fork, Idaho, April 17, 2006
On April 17, 2006 at about 9:30 pm local time, a Cessna 170B, registered N2288D, was substantially damaged in an accident near Clark Fork, Idaho (River Lake airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain aircraft control during a go-around. A quartering tailwind was a factor.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 17, 2006 · about 9:30 pm local time
- Place
- Clark Fork, Idaho · River Lake · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 170B · all 170Bs on the register
- Registration
- N2288D · registry record · serial 20440
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Due to the pilot's injuries, he does not recall the landing event, however, witnesses in the area reported that the aircraft was landing on runway 14 with a quartering tailwind. The witnesses observed the aircraft "tipping from one wheel to the other," and "bouncing back and forth on its wheels and swerving." The aircraft then lifted off and "flew across the road, rocking side to side then from 30 feet went nose down by the tracks in a ditch." The aircraft came to rest nose down to the ground about 430 feet from the end of runway 14. The nearest weather reporting facility located 19 nautical miles northwest of the accident site was reporting a wind from 260 degrees at 14 knots, gusting to 18 knots.
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: student
- Flight time: 95 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 3
- Seat: left
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,865 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 1, 2006; 2 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: 65S Bonners Ferry ID at 7:30 pm
- Destination: ID75
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 14, 2,600 ft by 60 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 260° at 14 knots, gusting 18
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 7,000 ft
- Temperature: 52°F (11°C), dew point 27°F (-3°C)
- Altimeter: 30.04 inHg
- Observation at 8:07 pm from SZT, 19 miles away
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.
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.