- Date
- June 10, 2018, 09:45 local (16:45 UTC)
- Place
- Benson, AZ
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N170WCessna 170
- Defining event
- Landing: Loss of control on ground
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 18, 2019
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- General Aviation Accidents
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20180610024249A
- Case key
- 97456
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 failure to maintain directional control during landing.
Findings · 2
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
The pilot reported that, during the landing roll, the tailwheel-equipped airplane veered left and began to bounce. He applied right rudder correction, which quickly turned the airplane right toward the centerline, and he then applied left rudder to realign with the runway heading. He increased the engine power setting to full to perform a go-around, but the airplane, during its third bounce, ground looped to the left. The right wing impacted the ground, and the airplane came to rest on its right side with the wing at a 90° angle. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right wing. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot reported that the automated weather observation system located on the airport reported that, about 15 minutes before the accident, the wind was light and variable at 2 knots, gusting to 5 knots. The airplane landed on runway 28.
Factual narrative
The pilot reported that, during the landing roll, the tailwheel-equipped airplane veered to the left and began to bounce. He applied right rudder correction, which quickly turned the airplane right towards centerline, and then applied left rudder to realign with runway heading. He increased the engine power setting to full to perform a go around, but the airplane, on its third bounce, ground looped to the left. The right wing impacted the ground and the airplane came to rest on its right side with the wing at a 90° angle. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right wing. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot reported that the automated weather observation system located on the airport reported that, about 15 minutes before the accident, the wind was light and variable at 2 knots, gusting to 5 knots. The airplane landed on runway 28.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N170W
- Reported as
- Cessna 170 (B)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 25596
- Built
- 1953
- Airframe hours
- 2,856.6
- Engine
- Cont Motor O-300A, 145 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · June 4, 2018
- Departed
- E95 · Benson, AZ
- Destination
- E95 · Benson, AZ
- Airport
- E95 · Benson Muni, runway 28, 4,002 × 75 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- Stall warning system
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
- 40
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- BasicMed, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- May 1, 2016
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 137 total · 7 in this make and model · 90 as pilot in command · 7 in the last 90 days · 7 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 260° at 14 knots, gusting 20
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 95 °F, dew point -8 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.01 inHg
- Observed at
- KALK, 24 nm away
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on October 15, 2018, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 1.0 MB 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.