- Date
- April 24, 1989, 17:00 local (21:00 UTC)
- Place
- Orwell, OH
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N4409VCessna 170
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 5, 1991
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19890424009869A
- Case key
- 8021
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 decision to takeoff on unsuitable terrain, which resulted in his inability to attain sufficient airspeed to clear the fence(s) near the end of the runway. Factors related to the accident were: the soft runway/terrain conditions & the fence.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The plt began to take off from his private strip, which was about 1300' long. A portion of the strip had recently been plowed & was soft. Rprtdly, the acft began to decelerated during the takeoff roll & did not attain sufficient speed to clear a fence at the end of the strip. The left main gear snagged a wire & the horizontal stabilizer hit a fence post. The acft cleared a 2nd fence, but hit a 3rd fence. It then landed, but enctrd soft terrain & subsequently nosed over.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N4409V
- Reported as
- Cessna 170
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 18542
- Engine
- Continental C-145, 145 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Paul Hatala
- Registered owner
- Paul Hatala
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal; Standard, Utility
- Last inspection
- Annual · October 16, 1988
- Airport
- Private Strip, runway 13, 1,300 × 50 ft, dirt
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
- 35
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 200 total · 21 in this make and model · 170 as pilot in command · 3 in the last 90 days · 2 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 50 °F, dew point -0 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.