- Date
- January 8, 2021, 14:00 local (22:00 UTC)
- Place
- Palouse, WA · Airport Environment
- Injuries
- 1 minor, 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N4344BCessna 170B
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: Abnormal runway contact
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Western Pacific Region
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration
- FAA report
- 20210108001659A
- Case key
- 102513
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 student pilot’s improper landing flare and loss of directional control and the flight instructor’s delayed remedial action resulted in a runway excursion and nose over.
Findings · 6
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 flight instructor of the tailwheel equipped airplane reported that, during an instructional flight, the student pilot’s landing flare was not sufficient to preclude a bounce. The student added power, and the airplane turned to the left toward hangars. The flight instructor took over the flight controls and continued the left turn to avoid hangars. The airplane departed the runway surface into a field. The wheels became stuck in the muddy ground and the airplane nosed over and came to rest inverted. The wings and vertical stabilizer were substantially damaged.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N4344B
- Reported as
- Cessna 170B (NO SERIES)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 26688
- Built
- 1955
- Airframe hours
- 3,173.2
- Engine
- Cont Motor 0-300 SER, 145 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · September 3, 2020 · 17 hours before
- Destination
- Same as departure
- Airport
- WN26 · Schoepflin, runway 11, 1,600 × 25 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 · 2
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Flight instructor
- Age
- 61
- Injuries
- Minor
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- June 27, 2019
- Seat
- Right
- Restraint
- Lap only
- Flight hours
- 2,174 total · 11 in this make and model · 2,046 as pilot in command · 26 in the last 90 days · 9 in the last 30 days
- Role
- Student pilot
- Age
- 39
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3, Without waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- Lap only
- Flight hours
- 69 total · 8 in this make and model · 11 as pilot in command · 8 in the last 90 days · 3 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 37 °F, dew point 32 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.18 inHg
- Observed at
- KPUW, 9 nm away
- METAR
- KPUW 082153Z AUTO 00000KT 10SM SCT120 03/00 A3018 RMK AO2 SLP240 T00330000
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on August 20, 2021, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 8.3 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.
Other investigations on N4344B · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.