# NTSB ATL03LA004: Cessna 170B, N170LB, Watkinsville, GA, October 13, 2002 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · No injuries · Limited investigation · Final report - Date: October 13, 2002, 15:00 local (19:00 UTC) - Place: Watkinsville, GA - Coordinates: 33.833332, -83.333335 - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=33.8333&lon=-83.3333&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Takeoff](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/300) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: No injuries - Injuries: 1 uninjured - Status: Completed, report February 5, 2004 - Report: Approved by Office Director - Parties: Atlanta FSDO - NTSB case key (mKey): 55875 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=ATL03LA004 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/55875/pdf - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ATL03LA004 ## Probable cause The pilot's inadvertent collision with an ant hill during takeoff that resulted in a ground loop and the subsequent collision collision with the ground. A factor was unsuitable terrain. ## Sequence of events In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - On ground/water encounter with terrain/water, takeoff - roll/run - ground loop/swerve - inadvertent, pilot in command - terrain condition - dirt bank/rising embankment (cause) - wrong runway - selected, pilot in command (contributing factor) ## Analysis The pilot landed in the pasture to assist another pilot who had landed because of an airplane problem. Unable to provide assistance to the other airplane, the Cessna 170B pilot elected to takeoff with the intention of seeking help. During the takeoff roll, the right main landing gear collided with an ant hill. The pilot reported that the collision damaged the right main landing gear, and directional control was lost. The subsequent airplane gyrations also damaged the left wing assembly. The pilot reported no mechanical problems with the airplane at the time of the accident. ## Factual narrative On October 13, 2002, at 1500 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 170B, N170LB, registered to and operated by the pilot, collided with an ant hill during an attempted takeoff from a pasture near Watkinsville, Georgia. The personal flight operated under the provisions Title 14 CFR Part 91 with no flight plan filed. Visual weather conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The commercial pilot was not injured, and the airplane sustained substantial damage. The accident occurred during the initial takeoff from the pasture in Watkinsville, Georgia, on October 13, 2002, at 1500. The pilot landed in the pasture to assist another pilot who had landed because of an airplane problem. Unable to provide assistance to the other airplane, the Cessna 170B pilot elected to takeoff with the intention of seeking help. During the takeoff roll, the right main landing gear collided with an ant hill. The pilot reported that the collision damaged the right main landing gear, and the airplane ground looped. The subsequent airplane gyrations also damaged the left wing assembly and the airframe. The pilot reported no mechanical problems with the airplane at the time of the accident. ## Aircraft - Registration: N170LB (not matched to a registry record) - Reported make and model: Cessna 170B - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 26716 - Airframe hours: 3832 - Engines: Continental O-300A3 145 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Registered owner: Robert D.Wheeler - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal - Last inspection: Annual, August 15, 2002, 105 hours before - Departed: Watkinsville, GA - Destination: Statham, GA - Airport: Off Airport ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 76; injuries: none; private; airplane ratings: single-engine land; medical: class 1, valid medical--no waivers/lim.; last flight review May 8, 2002; seat: left; flight hours: 2,780 total, 0 in the last 90 days, 0 in the last 30 days, 0 in the last 24 hours ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: 240° at 3 knots - Visibility: 9 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: 4,900 ft broken - Temperature: 72 °F, dew point 68 °F - Altimeter: 30.12 inHg - Observed at: AHN ## 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 20021013028869A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20021013028869A), Oct 13, 2002: Cessna 170B, Watkinsville, GA, Substantial damage. (-23) Received a call on oct 15 at 1130 hrs from robert wheeler reporting that his aircraft had sustained landing gear damage during an attempted takeoff from… 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.