Cessna 170B N2269D

Summary

On 31 July 2004 at about 02:15 local time, a Cessna 170B registered N2269D, operated by Christopher Copple, was involved in an accident near Kenai, Alaska, United States. 4 people were on board and 4 died. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

31 July 2004 at 02:15

Classification

Accident

Location

Kenai, Alaska, United States

Coordinates

60.7739, -151.9022

Aircraft

Cessna 170B

Registration

N2269D

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Christopher Copple

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Kenai → Kenai

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ANC04FA084

4 people died.

The pilot's failure to maintain airspeed (Vs) while maneuvering, which resulted in an inadvertent stall and loss of control.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The private pilot was transporting friends to an unimproved airstrip on a riverbank to go fishing. A pilot, who had landed his airplane at the airstrip earlier, reported that the accident airplane made two slow passes over the landing area in opposite directions, about 2 feet above the ground. The witness said on the second pass he noticed that the right engine cowl was unsecured. He said the airplane had a tailwind, and that during the initial climb after the pass, the airplane started a turn to the right. He said "the upper wing stalled," the airplane inverted, and "went vertical into the ground." The airplane impacted the terrain approximately 60 degrees nose down. The four occupants of the airplane were fatally injured. The wings and fuselage of the airplane sustained extensive structural damage. Pilots in the area said they heard the pilot making routine position calls in the airstrip's pattern on the common traffic advisory frequency (CTAF). A video, made by the right front seat passenger, confirmed that the right engine cowl came open during the flight to the airstrip, and that the pilot did not appear overly concerned. The airplane's owner said there were no known mechanical anomalies with the airplane prior to the accident flight. An approximate weight and balance calculation indicated that the airplane was at or near maximum gross weight, and the center of gravity was at or near the aft limit at the time of the accident.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.