- Date
- March 21, 2013, 15:10 local (22:10 UTC)
- Place
- Livermore, CA
- Injuries
- 1 serious
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N3826VCessna 170
- Defining event
- Landing-landing roll: Loss of control on ground
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Dawn
- Status
- Completed · report July 18, 2013
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Western Pacific Region
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration
- FAA report
- 20130321005229A
- Case key
- 86532
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 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 reported that after a normal landing, the tailwheel-equipped airplane began to drift right and that he applied control inputs to counteract the drift. The airplane then started to veer to the left, and the pilot applied right rudder to stop that movement; however, his foot became entangled in the rudder pedal, and the airplane ground looped. Subsequently, the right main landing gear collapsed, which resulted in substantial damage to the fuselage. The pilot reported that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Factual narrative
The pilot reported that following a normal landing, the tail wheel equipped airplane began to drift to the right and he applied control inputs to counteract the drift. The airplane then started to veer to the left and he applied right rudder to stop the movement, however his foot became entangled in the rudder pedal and the airplane ground looped. Subsequently, the right main landing gear collapsed which resulted in substantial damage to the forward area of the fuselage. The pilot reported that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N3826V
- Reported as
- Cessna 170
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 18684
- Airframe hours
- 4,547
- Engine
- Continental Motors O-300A, 145 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Don Davis
- Registered owner
- Don Davis
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · March 2, 2012 · 30 hours before
- Departed
- LVK · Livermore, CA
- Destination
- LVK · Livermore, CA
- Airport
- LVK · Livermore Municipal Airport, runway 21L, 2,699 × 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
- 84
- Injuries
- Serious
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine sea
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 4,834 total · 3,516 in this make and model · 8 in the last 90 days · 1 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Dawn
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 64 °F, dew point 39 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.03 inHg
- Observed at
- LVK
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on April 19, 2013, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 493 KB 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.