N170EC

On July 13, 1996, at 1300 Pacific daylight time, a Cessna 170B, N170EC, sustained substantial damage during landing on a temporary grass runway at Arlington, Washington airport. The commercial pilot and his two passengers were uninjured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the flight, which originated at Auburn airport, Auburn, Washington. The ELT actuated, but did not assist in locating the accident.

The pilot told FAA inspectors that a gust of wind lifted the wing at touchdown and the right main landing gear collapsed after loss of directional control. In his written accident report, he stated that as soon as he touched down he felt a hard pull to the right. He compensated for it and applied opposite rudder and aileron. He stated that " then realized that it was sliding with very little brake action available also about that time I realized the wind was blowing a good 15 to 20 knots 90 degrees from the runway. I tried to correct for the wind but by now it made no difference, I was sliding sideways about 15 to 20 degrees westerly off runway heading." In his written report, he also noted that the right wheel fairing, which had separated, was full of dirt and mud. He walked back to where the airplane started to slide, which was near the original touchdown point. He noted that the runway was damp, and he was told that it was kept watered down to keep the dust down. The pilot believed that the right wheel fairing had filled up with mud and locked the wheel up, causing the wheel to act like a brake on the right side.