Cessna 170A accident near Renton, Washington, July 4, 1998
On July 4, 1998 at about 7:45 pm local time, a Cessna 170A, registered N1296D, was substantially damaged in an accident near Renton, Washington (Renton Muni airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind 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 failure to maintain adequate airspeed which resulted in an inadvertent stall. Failure to jettison the external load and downdrafts were factors.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 4, 1998 · about 7:45 pm local time
- Place
- Renton, Washington · Renton Muni · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 170A · all 170As on the register
- Registration
- N1296D · no longer on the register · serial 19872
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that he was cleared for a low approach to pick up a banner. The pilot stated that after the banner pick-up, he applied full power and performed the 'normal abrupt climb.' The pilot leveled the airplane at about 50 feet when it experienced an 'abnormal sink.' The pilot stated that he failed to release the banner and the airplane continued to lose altitude. The airplane collided with the ground hard on the main landing gear. The left main landing gear collapsed and the left wing contacted the ground. The pilot stated that the winds were shifting and that he might have encountered a downdraft.
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: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,349 hours in all; 252 in this make and model; 4 in the last 90 days; 1 in the last 30 days; 1,882 as pilot in command; 304 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,811 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 11, 1998; 2 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,200 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-300D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: RTN Renton WA at 7:30 pm
- Destination: Yelm WA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 15, 5,379 ft by 200 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 220° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 5,000 ft
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 64°F (18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:56 pm from SEA, 4 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 N1296D 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.