Cessna 170B accident near Arlington, Washington, July 13, 1996
On July 13, 1996 at about 8:00 pm local time, a Cessna 170B, registered N170EC, was substantially damaged in an accident near Arlington, Washington (Arlington Municipal 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).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot's failure to maintain directional control during landing, which resulted in an inadvertent ground swerve. The crosswind and wet runway were related factors.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 13, 1996 · about 8:00 pm local time
- Place
- Arlington, Washington · Arlington Municipal · 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
- N170EC · registry record · serial 20330
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot told FAA inspectors that a gust of wind lifted a wing at touchdown, and subsequently, the right main landing gear collapsed after loss of directional control. In a written accident report, the pilot noted that as soon as the airplane touched down, he felt a hard pull to the right. He compensated for it and applied opposite rudder and aileron. The pilot said the wind was blowing 15 to 20 knots, perpendicular to the runway. He stated that he tried to correct for the wind, but subsequently, the airplane slid sideways about 15 to 20 degrees westerly off the runway heading. The runway was a temporary grass runway, which was being kept watered down in order to minimize dust.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 5,500 hours in all; 89 in this make and model; 7 in the last 90 days; 5 in the last 30 days; 2,500 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,512 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 3, 1996; 14 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,200 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental C-145-2 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 25Q Aurburn WA at 7:30 pm
- Destination: AWO
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 34, 5,300 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 300° at 11 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 57°F (14°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 12:56 pm from AWO
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.
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 SEA96LA158.