Cessna 170 accident near Auburn, Washington, May 17, 1998
On May 17, 1998 at about 11:00 pm local time, a Cessna 170, registered N2534V, was substantially damaged in an accident near Auburn, Washington (Auburn Muni 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).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's inadequate compensation for gusty crosswind conditions. A related factor was gusty crosswinds.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 17, 1998 · about 11:00 pm local time
- Place
- Auburn, Washington · Auburn Muni · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 170 · all 170s on the register
- Registration
- N2534V · no longer on the register · serial 18038
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that after starting his landing rollout, 'a gust of wind picked up my right wing [and] blew me off the runway.' The pilot reported his left wingtip subsequently struck the ground, turning the plane 90 degrees, and that the airplane then touched down in a soft field about 100 feet away. The airplane's right main wheel dug in and the airplane tipped up on its right wing. The pilot reported a crosswind from the left at 17 knots, gusting to 25 knots, during the landing, and reported no mechanical malfunction or failure was involved.
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
- Flight time: 1,200 hours in all; 50 in the last 90 days; 19 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,400 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 24, 1998; 20 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: AST Astoria OR at 10:00 pm
- Destination: S50
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 16, 3,400 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 200° at 11 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 6,500 ft; scat at 3,700 ft
- Temperature: 57°F (14°C), dew point 46°F (8°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:56 pm from SEA, 8 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.
Other NTSB records under N2534V the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.