- Date
- May 30, 2002, 17:15 local (23:15 UTC)
- Place
- Rock Springs, WY
- Injuries
- 3 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N4559CCessna 170B
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 20, 2002
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration
- FAA report
- 20020530011159A
- Case key
- 54817
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 NTSB’s determination of the probable cause, and any contributing factors.
the pilot's failure to maintain aircraft control during initial takeoff climb. A contributing factor was the gusty crosswind.
Analysis
The pilot said that during takeoff roll on runway 21, the winds swung from the west becoming a right crosswind. "Holding the right wing down, I felt I would be better off airborne, so [I] lifted the airplane off. [The] wind pushed me left of [the] runway. I kept trying to force [the] airplane to fly, but didn't have enough airspeed." The pilot said that he turned slightly left toward lower ground in an attempt to gain airspeed. The pilot said, "From [an] estimated height of 20-30 feet, [the] stall warning horn began blaring, airplane mushed into [the ground] - no breakover from stall." An examination of the airplane revealed no anomalies. The reported winds, 20 minutes before the accident, were 290 degrees at 13 knots with gusts to 24 knots. The reported winds, 39 minutes after the accident, were 270 degrees at 17 knots with gusts to 22 knots.
Factual narrative
The factual narrative430 words
On May 30, 2002, at 1715 mountain daylight time, a Cessna 170B, N4559C, piloted by a private pilot, sustained substantial damage during takeoff on runway 21 (5,223 feet by 75 feet, dry asphalt) at the Rock Springs/Sweetwater County Airport (RKS), Rock Springs, Wyoming, when the airplane departed the runway and impacted into a drainage ditch. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The personal flight was being conducted under the provisions of Title 14 CFR Part 91 without a flight plan. The pilot and two passengers on board the airplane reported no injuries. The local flight was originating at the time of the accident.
In his written statement, the pilot said that during takeoff roll, the winds swung from the west becoming a right crosswind. "Holding the right wing down, I felt I would be better off airborne, so [I] lifted the airplane off. [The] wind pushed me left of [the] runway. I kept trying to force [the] airplane to fly, but didn't have enough airspeed." The pilot said that he turned slightly left toward lower ground in an attempt to gain airspeed. The pilot said, "From [an] estimated height of 20-30 feet, [the] stall warning horn began blaring, airplane mushed into [the ground] - no breakover from stall."
The airport manager at RKS said the airplane came to rest in a drainage ditch approximately 1,000 feet southwest of the runway. An examination of the airplane revealed the airplane's cowling and firewall were crushed aft. The windscreen was broken out. The right cabin door was broken out. The right main landing gear was broken aft. The left wing, outboard of the strut, was twisted aft and bent upward. The left wing tip was broken aft longitudinally. The right wing was broken aft and downward at the wing root. The right wing tip was broken aft longitudinally. The empennage was twisted just forward of the horizontal stabilizer. The outer 8 inches of one propeller blade was broken off. The other propeller blade showed curling at the tip. Both blades showed torsional bending and chordwise scratches. Flight control continuity was confirmed. An examination of the engine, engine controls, and other airplane systems showed no anomalies.
At 1654, the Aviation Routine Weather Report (METAR) at RKS was clear skies, visibility 10 statute miles, temperature 82 degrees Fahrenheit (F), dew point 29 degrees F, winds 290 degrees at 13 knots with gusts to 24 knots, and an altimeter of 30.08 inches of Mercury.
At 1754, RKS METAR reported the winds as 270 degrees at 17 knots with gusts to 22 knots.
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.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N4559C
- Reported as
- Cessna 170B
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 25503
- Airframe hours
- 4,104.7
- Engine
- Continental C145, 145 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- John Lee Gibbens
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · April 2, 2002 · 11.6 hours before
- Departed
- RKS · Rock Springs, WY
- Airport
- RKS · Rock Springs/Sweetwater County, runway 21, 5,223 × 75 ft, asphalt
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
- 49
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Last flight review
- August 4, 2001
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 1,023 total · 577 in this make and model · 977 as pilot in command · 20 in the last 90 days · 9 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 290° at 13 knots, gusting 24
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 82 °F, dew point 28 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.07 inHg
- Observed at
- RKS, 1 nm away
Docket · 7
The files NTSB released with the investigation on August 29, 2002, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 765 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.