N2496D

On September 22, 1996, about 1125 Pacific daylight time, a Cessna 170, N2496D, was substantially damaged during landing at an airstrip in Hells Canyon near Enterprise, Oregon. The flight was a 14 CFR Part 91 flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time and no flight plan had been filed. The commercially rated pilot, who was the only occupant, was uninjured.

The pilot was landing at Pittsburg Landing along the Snake river. The turf runway at the strip is 1050 feet long. The pilot stated that, due to the wind, he was landing on runway 30 that slopes slightly downhill. He said everything was normal until the brakes locked up near the end of the landing roll. A state policeman who arrived at the scene about 15 minutes after the accident stated that the first sign of touchdown was about half way down the runway and "there was no indication that the tail wheel ever touched the ground and the main gear wheels were skidding at all times where they were in contact with the ground." The officer also noted that when he arrived, the wind was blowing in a direction that would have been a tailwind for the aircraft. He also checked the main gear wheels and found that they turned freely.