- Date
- January 29, 2026, 11:00 local (17:00 UTC)
- Place
- Summerdale, AL · BONNER FLD
- Injuries
- 1 minor, 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Aircraft
- N4178VCessna 170
- Defining event
- Takeoff-rejected takeoff: Runway excursion
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 7, 2026
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties
- FAA/FSDO
- FAA report
- 20260129000459A
- Case key
- 202368
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 abort the takeoff with insufficient runway remaining, which resulted in a runway overrun and impact with a fence post.
Findings · 1
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
While attempting to take off from a 2,100-ft-long turf runway the pilot observed an abnormal airspeed indication and aborted the takeoff. The airplane then overran the runway, impacted a fence post with the left main landing gear, and nosed over resulting in substantial damage to the right wing and vertical stabilizer. After the accident, the pilot suspected that the pitot tube butterfly cover may have become stuck resulting in the erroneous airspeed indication. Postaccident examination of the airplane’s pitot tube butterfly cover by an FAA inspector revealed no evidence of any preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. Had the pilot aborted the takeoff sooner, or continued the takeoff despite the airspeed indication anomaly, it is likely that the accident could have been prevented.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N4178V
- Reported as
- Cessna 170
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 18511
- Built
- 1948
- Airframe hours
- 3,571.86
- Engine
- Continental Motors C145 SERIES, 145 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · January 15, 2026 · 2 hours before
- Airport
- 4AL6 · Bonner Fld, runway 36, 1,600 × 160 ft, grass/turf
- Equipment
- Stall warning system, ADS-B
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
- 73
- Injuries
- Minor
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Helicopter, Airplane
- Medical
- BasicMed, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- January 4, 2024
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- Lap only
- Flight hours
- 12,000 total · 300 in this make and model · 10.4 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 80° at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 52 °F, dew point 25 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.27 inHg
- Observed at
- CQF, 9 nm away
- METAR
- METAR KCQF 291655Z AUTO 08004KT 10SM CLR 11/M04 A3027 RMK AO2
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.