- Date
- July 29, 2012, 09:00 local (16:00 UTC)
- Place
- Ellensburg, WA
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N4089ACessna 170A
- Defining event
- Landing-landing roll: Loss of control on ground
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 9, 2012
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Western Pacific Region
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration
- FAA report
- 20120729015789A
- Case key
- 84505
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 loss of directional control during the landing roll.
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 stated that he made a wheel landing on runway 7. As he pulled back on the elevator to lower the tail, the tail came up, and he lost control of the airplane. The airplane veered left, then turned sideways to the direction of travel, and stopped suddenly causing the right wing to contact the ground. No preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures were found that would have precluded normal operation.
Factual narrative
The pilot stated that he made a wheel landing on runway 07. As he pulled back on the elevator to lower the tail, the tail came up and he lost control of the airplane. The airplane veered left, then turned sideways to the direction of travel, and stopped suddenly causing the right wing to contact the ground. No preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures were found that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N4089A
- Reported as
- Cessna 170A
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 18794
- Airframe hours
- 3,865
- Engine
- Cont Motor O-300 SER, 145 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Pensula Dan
- Registered owner
- Pensula Dan
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · June 24, 2012
- Departed
- 2W1 · Cle Elum, WA
- Destination
- KELN · Ellensburg, WA
- Airport
- KELN · Ellensburg, runway 07, 5,590 × 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
- 61
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- June 3, 2012
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 790 total · 571 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Variable at 3 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 70 °F, dew point 48 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.07 inHg
- Observed at
- KELN
Docket · 1
The files NTSB released with the investigation on August 24, 2012, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 1.5 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.