- Date
- April 5, 2006, 18:15 local (Apr 6, 2006, 01:15 UTC)
- Place
- Hanford, CA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N5561CCessna 170A
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report August 29, 2006
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration
- FAA report
- 20060405004949A
- Case key
- 63474
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.
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 airplane ground looped while on the landing roll. The pilot, who had just purchased the airplane and only had 11 hours experience in tail wheel equipped aircraft, was attempting a wheel landing with no flaps. Upon touchdown, the airplane veered to the left of the runway centerline. The pilot lowered the tail wheel, and as it came into contact with the runway surface, the airplane swerved to the right. The pilot attempted to correct the veering by applying full left rudder input and brake pressure. With the airplane diverging about 30 degrees from the runway centerline, the pilot opted to make a go-around and applied full power. The airplane departed off the right side of the runway into the soft mud of a recently plowed field. The airplane nosed over when the landing gear encountered soft mud.
Factual narrative
The airplane ground looped while on the landing roll. The pilot stated that the purpose of the flight was to practice takeoff and landings in his recently purchased tail wheel equipped airplane. On the first landing he configured the airplane for a wheel landing with no flaps. Upon touchdown, the airplane bounced slightly and the pilot applied power and forward pressure on the control yoke. The airplane veered to the left of the runway centerline and the pilot manipulated the control yoke aft in an effort to lower the tail wheel. As the tail wheel came into contact with the runway surface, the airplane swerved to the right. The pilot attempted to correct the veering by applying full left rudder input and brake pressure. With the airplane diverging about 30 degrees from the runway centerline, the pilot opted to make a go-around and applied full power. The airplane departed off the right side of the runway into the soft mud of a recently plowed field. The airplane ground looped and subsequently nosed over, incurring damage to the wings and rudder.
The pilot reported calm winds. He stated that the accident may have been prevented if he had received more dual instruction on a tail wheel equipped airplane. The pilot had a total flying experience of 5,500 hours, of which 11 hours were amassed in a tail wheel equipped airplane.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N5561C
- Reported as
- Cessna 170A
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 19614
- Engine
- Continental O-300A, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal; Standard, Utility
- Departed
- HJO · Hanford, CA
- Destination
- HJO · Hanford, CA
- Airport
- HJO · Hanford Municipal Airport, runway 32, 5,175 × 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
- 46
- Certificates
- Commercial, Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1
- Flight hours
- 5,500 total · 11 in this make and model · 11 in the last 90 days · 6 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 64 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.02 inHg
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.