# NTSB ANC02LA032: Cessna 170B, N7608B, Anchorage, AK, May 12, 2002 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · No injuries · Limited investigation · Final report - Date: May 12, 2002, 14:00 local (22:00 UTC) - Place: Anchorage, AK - Coordinates: 61.186943, -149.96527 - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=61.1869&lon=-149.9653&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Takeoff](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/300) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: No injuries - Injuries: 4 uninjured - Status: Completed, report August 26, 2002 - Report: Approved by Office Director - NTSB office: Alaska Regional Office - Parties: FAA Anchorage FSDO-03 - NTSB case key (mKey): 54671 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=ANC02LA032 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/54671/pdf - NTSB docket: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=54671 - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ANC02LA032 ## Probable cause The failure of the pilot to maintain directional control during takeoff. A factor associated with the accident was an inadvertent ground loop. ## Analysis The private pilot was departing on a gravel airstrip for a local flight with friends. As the airplane accelerated along the runway it drifted to the left. Upon reaching the left edge of the runway, the pilot aborted the takeoff. The airplane skidded off the runway to the left. The left main landing gear collapsed inward and the left wing struck the ground. The airplane came to rest on its nose, left main landing gear, and left wing. There were no injuries associated with the accident, and no mechanical anomalies with the airplane. ## Factual narrative On May 12, 2002, about 1400 Alaska daylight time, a Cessna 170B airplane, N7608B, sustained substantial damage during an aborted takeoff at the Lake Hood Strip, Anchorage, Alaska. The airplane was being operated as a visual flight rules (VFR) personal flight under Title 14, CFR Part 91, when the accident occurred. The private pilot and the three passengers were not injured. The flight was intended to be a local flight, and no flight plan was filed. During an on-site interview with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigator-in-charge (IIC) on May 12, the pilot said as he started the takeoff roll, the airplane drifted toward the left edge of the runway. He said he was unable to stop it from drifting left, and aborted the takeoff. He said as the airplane decelerated it ran off of the left side of the runway. The airplane skidded sideways, and the left main wheel assembly collapsed inward, and the outboard portion of the left wing struck the ground. The airplane then nosed down and came to rest with the nose touching the ground. The pilot said this was his second flight in the airplane since its annual inspection was accomplished a week earlier. He said the ground handling characteristics of the airplane had changed since part of the tail wheel assembly was changed during the annual inspection. He said his first flight in the airplane, after the inspection, was uneventful, and no problems with any of the flight controls were noted. An examination of the airplane at the accident site by the IIC did not disclose any mechanical anomalies. The runway surface was level, packed and loose, gravel. The tire tracks from both main wheels were visible, however, the right main wheel track was more pronounced. The tail wheel track was not visible. The tracks drifted toward the left edge of the runway. At a point near the left edge of the runway, and about 90 feet from where the airplane came to rest, both tracks abruptly become deep furrowed marks. The marks traveled off the runway to the left and then made an arc toward the right. The arc decreased in circumference toward the end of the marks. The airplane was sitting on its main gear and tail wheel. A representative from the airport fire department said the airplane was resting on its left main landing gear, left wing, and nose when they arrived. The fire department lowered the airplane onto its tail wheel to stop the flow of fuel that was leaking from the main fuel tanks. The left main landing gear leg was bent inward and the tire was flat. Both main tires showed signs of lateral scuffing. About five feet of the left wing sustained damage to the leading edge, ribs and skin, and was bent upward about 30 degrees. The left aileron, engine cowling, propeller and spinner, were also damaged. Wind conditions observed at the time of the site investigation were calm to light and variable. ## Sequence of events In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - Loss of control - on ground/water, takeoff - roll/run - directional control - not maintained, pilot in command (cause) - On ground/water encounter with terrain/water, takeoff - aborted - ground loop/swerve - inadvertent, pilot in command (contributing factor) - terrain condition - loose gravel/sandy - Nose down, takeoff - aborted ## Aircraft - Registration: [N7608B](https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N7608B-2017-04-13), registration cancelled 2017-04-13, S/N 25491, built 1957 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: Cessna 170B - Registry model: [Cessna 170B](https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-170b) (registry code 2072306) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Continental C145 series](https://openairdocs.org/engine/continental-c145-series) (registry code 17012, reciprocating) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 25491 - Airframe hours: 5340 - Engines: Continental O-300-A 145 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Operator: Terrence J. Moore - Registered owner: Terrence J. Moore - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal - Last inspection: Annual, May 1, 2002, 2 hours before - Departed: Z41, Lake Hood Strip, AK - Airport: Z41, Lake Hood strip, runway 31, 2,200 × 70 ft, gravel ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 54; injuries: none; private; airplane ratings: single-engine land; medical: class 3, valid medical--w/ waivers/lim; last flight review July 9, 2001; seat: left; flight hours: 253 total, 45 in this make and model, 159 as pilot in command, 13 in the last 90 days, 8 in the last 30 days ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: calm - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: none - Temperature: 54 °F, dew point 28 °F - Altimeter: 30.12 inHg - Observed at: PALH ## FAA reports on this event (1) The FAA's own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date (OpenAirDocs). - [Accident 20020512012869A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20020512012869A), May 12, 2002: Cessna 170B, Anchorage, AK, No damage. (-23) Pilot stated he was taking off when he got a tail wind that pushed him off the runway. Weather sequence for lake Hood strip showed calm winds. There were… ## Docket (1 files) The files NTSB released with the investigation on July 30, 2002, on NTSB's docket system: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=54671. 542 KB in all. - Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 (item 1, .PDF, 542 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40436564&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Pilot%2FOperator%20Aircraft%20Accident%20Report,%20NTSB%20Form%206120.1-Redacted.PDF From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.