# Accident 20030624013369A: Cessna 170B, Widener, AR, June 24, 2003

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: June 24, 2003, 12:30 local time
- Place: Widener, AR
- Airport: Private
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: Final Approach
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 35.0217° N, 90.6853° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=35.0217&lon=-90.6853&mi=10
- Aircraft: N4478B, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N4478B) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Cessna 170B (registry code 2072306, https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-170b) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Continental 0-300 series (registry code 17022, https://openairdocs.org/engine/continental-0-300-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: CESSNA 170B
- People aboard: 2
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Pilot flight hours: 250 total, 200 in this make and model, 3 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB CHI03LA180](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CHI03LA180) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20030624013369A

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

(-23) ON JUNE 24, 2003, AT 12:30 CDT, A CESSNA CE-170B, N4478B, STRUCK A SMALL TRANSMISSION LINE WHILE ON FINAL APPROACH TO A PRIVATE GRASS RUNWAY EAST OF WIDENER, ARKANSAS. THE PRIVATE PILOT AND HIS SINGLE PASSENGER WERE NOT INJURED AND THE AIRCRAFT SUSTAINED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE. THE AIRCRAFT WAS BEING OPERATED AS A PRIVATE/PLEASURE FLIGHT UNDER 14 CFR PART 91 WHEN THE ACCIDENT OCCURRED. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED AT THE TIME AND A VFR FLIGHT PLAN WAS NOT FILED. WHILE ON FINAL APPROACH TO A PRIVATE GRASS RUNWAY THE PILOT NOTICED THE TRANSMISSION LINE (APPROXIMATELY 3/16-1/4 INCH IN DIAMETER) AND PULLED THE NOSE UP, HOWEVER THE AFT BOTTOM SIDE OF THE FUSELAGE STRUCK THE WIRE. THE PILOT STATED HE DID NOT INCREASE ENGINE POWER JUST BEFORE OR AFTER THE WIRE STRIKE, AND THE AIRPLANE IMPACTED THE GROUND APPROXIMATELY 200 FEET FROM THE WIRE WHILE STILL UPRIGHT. THE DISTANCE FROM THE WIRE TO THE FIRST GROUND SCARS INDICATE THE AIRCRAFT CAME DOWN AT A STEEP ANGLE AND IMPACTED THE GROUND HARD ENOUGH TO CAUSE SIGNIFICANT SOIL DISPLACEMENT WHERE THE MAIN WHEELS TRAVELED.

## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1)

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

- [NTSB CHI03LA180](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CHI03LA180), Jun 24, 2003: Cessna 170B (N4478B), Widener, AR, substantial damage. Probable cause: The pilot's failure to maintain clearance from the wires and his failure to maintain adequate airspeed, resulting in a stall. A factor contributing to the accident was the unmarked wires.

## Other reports on N4478B (1)

Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.

- [Incident 20220829019749I](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20220829019749I), Aug 29, 2022: Cessna 170B (N4478B), Eau Claire, WI, Minor damage. The pilot of [privacy data omitted], a tail wheel aircraft, landed runway 22 at the Eau Claire Chippewa valley airport (keau) in a heavy crosswind. The pilot…

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

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