Cessna 170B accident near Baker City, Oregon, January 2, 1996
On January 2, 1996 at about 9:30 pm local time, a Cessna 170B, registered N2761D, was substantially damaged in an accident near Baker City, Oregon. 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 instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot's premature lift-off and inadequate airspeed following liftoff. His use of a public highway as a takeoff area, and a motor vehicle on the highway, were factors.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 2, 1996 · about 9:30 pm local time
- Place
- Baker City, Oregon · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 170B · all 170Bs on the register
- Registration
- N2761D · no longer on the register · serial 25303
- 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 encountered deteriorating weather while approaching his destination and elected to land on a public highway, and that the accident occurred during landing. However, a county sheriff's report indicated that the pilot told law enforcement personnel that he had landed on the highway earlier due to deteriorating weather and was attempting to take off again from the highway. The pilot told law enforcement personnel that during the takeoff, a motor vehicle rounded a corner in the road and that he pulled up to avoid it, but that 'The plane wasn't ready to get airborne.' The sheriff's report stated that after pulling up, the airplane touched down several times before impacting a bank along the side of the road. Statements from the vehicle driver and a local resident who lives along the highway supported the sequence of events given in the sheriff's report.
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; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,575 hours in all; 1,200 in this make and model; 75 in the last 90 days; 66 in the last 30 days; 1,545 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 6, 1995
- Maximum gross weight: 2,200 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental C145-2 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: S67 Nampa ID at 8:00 pm
- Destination: BKE OR
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 100° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 900 ft; scat at 400 ft
- Temperature: 37°F (3°C), dew point 34°F (1°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:50 pm from BKE, 12 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.