Accident Details
Probable Cause and Findings
The pilot's inadvertent ground loop. A factor was the soft grass airstrip.
Aircraft Information
Registered Owner (Current)
Analysis
On May 13, 2000, approximately 0730 mountain daylight time, a Cessna 170B, N8319A, was substantially damaged when the aircraft ground looped on takeoff roll on Heiner Airstrip, Bedford, Wyoming. The commercial pilot and his two passengers were not injured. The pilot was operating the airplane under Title 14 CFR Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the local flight, which was originating at the time of the accident. No flight plan had been filed.
The pilot said that while on takeoff roll from the grass runway, at approximately 40 miles per hour, "I hit a soft spot which pulled the airplane hard left." He said the airplane ground looped to the left. The pilot said the left landing gear collapsed, the left wing was bent, and the fuselage was damaged.
Data Source
Data provided by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). For more information on this event, visit the NTSB Records Search website. NTSB# DEN00LA087