- Date
- October 2, 2010, 18:00 local (Oct 3, 2010, 02:00 UTC)
- Place
- Minto Flats, AK
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Aircraft
- N2792CCessna 170B
- Defining event
- Takeoff-rejected takeoff: Nose over/nose down
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 16, 2011
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- Parties
- FAA FSDO
- FAA report
- 20101002054269A
- Case key
- 77479
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The pilot's selection of unsuitable terrain for takeoff, resulting in a loss of control.
Findings · 3
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The pilot reported that during the takeoff roll from a remote site the tailwheel-equipped airplane encountered soft terrain and nosed down. He stated that the accident takeoff was his third attempt to depart the site, and that during the attempt he realized the runway was not long enough and reduced the engine power to idle. The airplane's main landing gear tires sank into the soft terrain and the airplane nosed down, sustaining substantial damage to the right wing assembly. The pilot noted that there were no preimpact mechanical anomalies with the airplane.
Factual narrative
The commercial pilot reported that during the takeoff roll from a remote site, the tailwheel-equipped airplane encountered soft terrain and nosed down. He stated that the accident takeoff was his third attempt to depart the site, and that during the attempt he "ran out of room and retarded the throttle." The airplane's main landing gear tires sank into the soft terrain, and the airplane nosed down,sustaining substantial damage to the right wing assembly. The pilot noted that there were no mechanical anomalies with the airplane during the accident scenario. The airplane was operated as a personal flight under the provisions of Title 14, Code of Federal Regulations Part 91, when the accident occurred.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N2792C
- Reported as
- Cessna 170B
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 26336
- Airframe hours
- 3,103
- Engine
- Cont Motor C145 SERIES, 145 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Berg Timothy J
- Registered owner
- Berg Timothy J
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal; Standard, Utility
- Last inspection
- Annual · June 1, 2010 · 38 hours before
- Departed
- FAI · Fairbanks, AK
- Destination
- Minto Flats, AK
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 50
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine sea, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- May 3, 2009
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 2,235 total · 1,480 in this make and model · 1,756 as pilot in command · 35 in the last 90 days · 17 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 50 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 5,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 45 °F
Docket · 1
The files NTSB released with the investigation on November 8, 2010, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 676 KB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.