20221008016549A

Accident · Substantial damage

FAA accident report · Cessna 170B · Monument Valley, UT · October 8, 2022

Date: October 8, 2022 · 14:00 local
Place: Monument Valley, UT
Airport: Monument Valley
Phase of flight: Landing: Touchdown
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Substantial damage
Aircraft: N1961C
NTSB investigation: NTSBWPR23LA011
Reported as: Cessna 170B
People aboard: 2
Fatal injuries: 0
Other injuries: 0
Pilot’s certificates: Commercial pilot, private pilot
Pilot’s flight hours: 2,532 total109 in this make and model95 in the last 90 days

N1961CRegistered now · Cessna 170BS/N 26106 · Built 1953 Airframe modelCessna 170B Engine modelContinental C145 seriesReciprocating

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry 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.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

The pilot stated that when touching down on the runway the aircraft bounced. Then it left the runway hitting soft sand dunes, causing the aircraft to ground loop in a flat spin. This caused substantial damage to the aircraft including propeller strike damage, damage to the aircraft nose, and both wing tips being wrinkled. The landing gear box was damaged and ripped out of the aircraft. Both landing gear legs were bent backwards. The pilot stated that winds were reported as light but occasionally gusting to 10 knots in a quartering direction.

As the FAA filed it

THE PILOT STATED THAT WHEN TOUCHING DOWN ON THE RUNWAY THE AIRCRAFT BOUNCED. THEN IT LEFT THE RUNWAY HITTING SOFT SAND DUNES, CAUSING THE AIRCRAFT TO GROUND LOOP IN A FLAT SPIN. THIS CAUSED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE TO THE AIRCRAFT INCLUDING PROPELLER STRIKE DAMAGE, DAMAGE TO THE AIRCRAFT NOSE, AND BOTH WING TIPS BEING WRINKLED. THE LANDING GEAR BOX WAS DAMAGED AND RIPPED OUT OF THE AIRCRAFT. BOTH LANDING GEAR LEGS WERE BENT BACKWARDS. THE PILOT STATED THAT WINDS WERE REPORTED AS LIGHT BUT OCCASIONALLY GUSTING TO 10 KNOTS IN A QUARTERING DIRECTION.

NTSB investigation

The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.

NTSB WPR23LA011Accident · No injuriesClass 4 · LimitedFinal reportMonument Valley, UTThe pilot’s loss of airplane control during the landing flare in gusting wind and subsequent loss of directional control during the landing roll.Oct 8, 2022 · Substantial damage