Cessna 170B N2746D

Summary

On 1 July 2021 at about 22:00 local time, a Cessna 170B registered N2746D was involved in an accident near North Pole, Alaska, United States. 4 people were on board and 4 were seriously injured. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

1 July 2021 at 22:00

Classification

Accident

Location

North Pole, Alaska, United States

Nearest airport

Dalrymple's (31AK)

Coordinates

64.8169, -147.4168

Aircraft

Cessna 170B

Registration

N2746D

Category

Airplane

Year built

1952

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Unknown → Mankomen Lake

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ANC21LA056

4 people were seriously injured.

The pilot’s exceedance of the airplane’s takeoff performance limitations, which prevented the airplane from gaining sufficient altitude to clear the trees off the departure end of the runway.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

During the takeoff of the personal flight, the airplane was unable to gain enough altitude to clear the trees off the departure end of the runway. Subsequently, the airplane impacted the trees and came to rest inverted, and a postaccident fire ensued, which destroyed the airplane. The pilot told the responding law enforcement officer that he thought that the wind had shifted during the takeoff and that the airplane lost lift at the end of the runway. A postaccident examination of the airplane revealed no evidence of preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. At the time of the accident, the airplane was departing from a grass/turf-covered runway, during a hot summer day, with full main fuel tanks, with a total of four occupants on board, and an estimated density altitude of 2,186 ft above mean sea level. The pilot reported that the airplane was about 13 pounds more than its maximum gross takeoff weight. The airplane owner’s manual indicated that at a maximum gross weight the airplane would need an estimated takeoff distance of 2,250 ft to clear a 50-ft obstacle. The accident site is a 2,400 ft long, by 100 ft wide, turf-covered site. The airplane manufacturer added that the turf runway would likely add to the distance needed for the takeoff. Thus, given the conditions of the accident, the pilot likely exceeded the airplane’s takeoff performance limitations, which resulted in the airplane not attaining the altitude needed to clear the tree line during takeoff and the subsequent impact with trees.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.