- Date
- November 12, 2004, 12:50 local (17:50 UTC)
- Place
- Opa Locka, FL
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N9059ACessna 170A
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 30, 2006
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- FAA FSDO
- FAA report
- 20041112027959A
- Case key
- 60625
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 improper landing flare/touchdown, which resulted in a hard landing.
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 pilot stated that during the landing rollout on runway 9L, the airplane weather vaned to the right. He said he applied left rudder and left braking inputs to correct for the weather vaning, but the left main landing gear separated. The left wing and the propeller impacted the runway, and the airplane pivoted to the left, coming to an abrupt stop. According to the Opa Locka Air traffic controller, the airplane was cleared to land on runway 9L, and upon touchdown the left side of the airplane collapsed and the airplane veered to the left. On November 11 and 12, 2004, an FAA inspector conducted postcrash examinations of the accident airplane, and according to the inspector, the airplane exhibited signatures consistent with the pilot having made a hard landing. The inspector further stated that there was no evidence of fatigue to any of the landing gear fracture surfaces, and that there were no preaccident anomalies with the airplane or its systems.
Factual narrative
On November 12, 2004, about 1250 eastern standard time, a Cessna 170A airplane, N9059A, registered to and operated by a private individual, as a Title 14 CFR Part 91 personal flight, incurred damage during the landing rollout at Opa Locka Airport, Opa Locka, Florida. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed. The private-rated pilot was not injured, and the airplane incurred substantial damage. The flight originated at Opa Locka Airport, the same day, about 1050.
According to the pilot, while landing on runway 9L, during the landing rollout, the airplane weather vaned to the right. He said he applied left rudder and left braking inputs to correct for the weather vaning, but the left main landing gear separated. The left wing and the propeller impacted the runway, and the airplane pivoted to the left, coming to an abrupt stop. The NTSB did not receive a completed NTSB Form 6120, Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident/Incident Report from the pilot.
According to the Opa Locka Air traffic control tower controller, the airplane was cleared to land on runway 9L, and upon touchdown the left side of the airplane collapses and the airplane veered to the left.
On November 11 and 12, 2004, an FAA inspector conducted postcrash examinations of the accident airplane, and according to the inspector, the airplane exhibited signatures consistent with the pilot having made an hard landing. The inspector further stated that there was no evidence of fatigue to any of the landing gear fracture surfaces, and that no preaccident anomalies were noted to exist with the airplane or its systems.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N9059A
- Reported as
- Cessna 170A
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 18818
- Airframe hours
- 4,710
- Engine
- Continental O-300, 145 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Colin Olliver
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Utility; Standard, Normal
- Departed
- OPF · Miami, FL
- Destination
- OPF
- Airport
- OPF · Opa locka, runway 9L, 8,002 × 150 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
- 68
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3
- Last flight review
- May 1, 2003
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 1,285 total · 400 in this make and model · 30 in the last 90 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 140° at 9 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 82 °F, dew point 63 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.03 inHg
- Observed at
- OPF
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.