# NTSB DEN02LA047: Cessna 170B, N4559C, Rock Springs, WY, May 30, 2002 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · No injuries · Limited investigation · Final report - Date: May 30, 2002, 17:15 local (23:15 UTC) - Place: Rock Springs, WY - Coordinates: 41.595001, -109.065002 - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=41.5950&lon=-109.0650&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Initial climb](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/350) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: No injuries - Injuries: 3 uninjured - Status: Completed, report September 20, 2002 - Report: Approved by Office Director - Parties: Federal Aviation Administration - NTSB case key (mKey): 54817 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=DEN02LA047 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/54817/pdf - NTSB docket: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=54817 - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/DEN02LA047 ## Probable cause 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 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 In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - Loss of control - in flight, takeoff - initial climb - aircraft control - not maintained, pilot in command (cause) - weather condition - crosswind (contributing factor) - weather condition - gusts (contributing factor) - In flight collision with terrain/water, descent - uncontrolled ## Aircraft - Registration: [N4559C](https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N4559C-2013-05-22), registration cancelled 2013-05-22, S/N 25503, built 1953 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: Cessna 170B - Registry model: [Cessna 170B](https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-170b) (registry code 2072306) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Continental C145 series](https://openairdocs.org/engine/continental-c145-series) (registry code 17012, reciprocating) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 25503 - Airframe hours: 4104.7 - Engines: 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 ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 49; injuries: none; 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 ## 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 20020530011159A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20020530011159A), May 30, 2002: Cessna 170B, Rock Springs, WY, No damage. (-23) Pilot lost control on takeoff during gusty crosswind conditions. The airplane ground looped, went off the left side of the runway and came to rest in a… ## Docket (7 files) The files NTSB released with the investigation on August 29, 2002, on NTSB's docket system: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=54817. 765 KB in all. - Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 (item 1, .PDF, 326 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40439807&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Pilot%2FOperator%20Aircraft%20Accident%20Report,%20NTSB%20Form%206120.1-Redacted.PDF - Supplement S (item 2, .PDF, 31 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40162688&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Supplement%20S-Master.PDF - Weather Reports and Records (item 3, .PDF, 39 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40162689&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Weather%20Reports%20and%20Records-Master.PDF - Photo 1 - Airplane Main Wreckage, Left Side View (item 4, .PDF, 86 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40162690&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Photo%201%20-%20Airplane%20Main%20Wreckage,%20Left%20Side%20View-Master.PDF - Photo 2 - Airplane Main Wreckage, Forward View (item 5, .PDF, 99 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40162691&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Photo%202%20-%20Airplane%20Main%20Wreckage,%20Forward%20View-Master.PDF - Photo 3 - Left Wing Damage (item 6, .PDF, 94 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40162692&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Photo%203%20-%20Left%20Wing%20Damage-Master.PDF - Photo 4 - Airplane Main Wreckage, Aft View (item 7, .PDF, 89 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40162693&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Photo%204%20-%20Airplane%20Main%20Wreckage,%20Aft%20View-Master.PDF 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.