# NTSB ANC03CA097: Cessna 170B, N8016A, Sparrevohn, AK, August 18, 2003 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · No injuries · Data collection · Final report - Date: August 18, 2003, 09:15 local (17:15 UTC) - Place: Sparrevohn, AK - Coordinates: 61.810508, -161.43927 (estimated) - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=61.8105&lon=-161.4393&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Takeoff](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/300) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: No injuries - Injuries: 2 uninjured - Status: Completed, report November 25, 2003 - Report: Approved by Office Director - NTSB office: Alaska Regional Office - NTSB case key (mKey): 57727 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=ANC03CA097 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/57727/pdf - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ANC03CA097 ## Probable cause The pilot's inadequate compensation for a crosswind, which resulted in collapse of the left main landing gear during the takeoff roll. A factor was the crosswind. ## 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 - compensation for wind conditions - inadequate, pilot in command (cause) - weather condition - crosswind (contributing factor) - Main gear collapsed, takeoff - roll/run ## Analysis According to the pilot, the takeoff area was 2,100 feet long, oriented east/west, and consisted of "firm tundra with some rougher areas near the mid point." Additionally, the takeoff area had a dogleg requiring "a right hand directional correction of about 15 feet" near the midpoint. The pilot reported that he planned to takeoff heading east, and the wind was from the south at 5 to 7 mph. He further reported that the airplane accelerated normally, and as it neared the midpoint of the takeoff area, it "wanted to drift to the left." The pilot added right rudder to make the dogleg turn and to counteract the drift. At this point, the pilot heard a loud "pop" from the fuselage and aborted the takeoff. The left main landing gear separated from the fuselage, and the airplane slid approximately 100 feet and came to a stop. The pilot stated that the accident could have been prevented by the "use of more right aileron and less rudder to correct for right-hand crosswind." ## Factual narrative On August 18, 2003, at 0915 Alaska daylight time, a tundra tire equipped Cessna 170B airplane, N8016A, sustained substantial damage when the left main landing gear collapsed following a loss of control during the takeoff roll from a remote site approximately 20 miles southeast of Sparrevohn, Alaska. The commercial pilot and the passenger were not injured. The airplane was registered to and operated by the pilot. The Title 14 CFR Part 91 personal cross country flight was originating at the time of the accident with an intended destination of Port Alsworth, Alaska. According to the pilot, the takeoff area was 2,100 feet long, oriented east/west, and consisted of "firm tundra with some rougher areas near the mid point." Additionally, the takeoff area had a dogleg requiring "a right hand directional correction of about 15 feet" near the midpoint. The pilot reported that he planned to takeoff heading east, and the wind was from the south at 5 to 7 mph. He further reported that the airplane accelerated normally, and as it neared the midpoint of the takeoff area, it "wanted to drift to the left." The pilot added right rudder to make the dogleg turn and to counteract the drift. At this point, the pilot heard a loud "pop" from the fuselage and aborted the takeoff. The left main landing gear separated from the fuselage, and the airplane slid approximately 100 feet and came to a stop. According to the pilot, the landing gear bulkhead structure, the left aileron, and the outboard 2 feet of the left wing were damaged. The pilot stated that the accident could have been prevented by the "use of more right aileron and less rudder to correct for right-hand crosswind." ## Aircraft - Registration: [N8016A](https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N8016A), registered now, S/N 20868, built 1952 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: Cessna 170B - Registry model: [Cessna 170B](https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-170b) (registry code 2072306) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Continental 0-300 series](https://openairdocs.org/engine/continental-0-300-series) (registry code 17022, reciprocating) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 20868 - Engines: Continental O-300B reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Registered owner: Ernest R. Walker - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal - Departed: Sparrevohn, AK - Destination: AK51, Port Alsworth, AK ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 58; commercial; airplane ratings: single-engine land, multi-engine land; instrument ratings: airplane; medical: class 3, valid medical--no waivers/lim.; flight hours: 1,818 total, 750 in this make and model ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day ## 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 20030818025519A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20030818025519A), Aug 18, 2003: Cessna 170B, Sparrevohn, AK, Substantial damage. (-23) Pilot and one passenger were taking off from unimproved tundra during a hunting trip. Wind was estimated by pilot as 90 degrees from the right at… 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. --- 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.