N170LB

On October 13, 2002, at 1500 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 170B, N170LB, registered to and operated by the pilot, collided with an ant hill during an attempted takeoff from a pasture near Watkinsville, Georgia. The personal flight operated under the provisions Title 14 CFR Part 91 with no flight plan filed. Visual weather conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The commercial pilot was not injured, and the airplane sustained substantial damage. The accident occurred during the initial takeoff from the pasture in Watkinsville, Georgia, on October 13, 2002, at 1500.

The pilot landed in the pasture to assist another pilot who had landed because of an airplane problem. Unable to provide assistance to the other airplane, the Cessna 170B pilot elected to takeoff with the intention of seeking help. During the takeoff roll, the right main landing gear collided with an ant hill. The pilot reported that the collision damaged the right main landing gear, and the airplane ground looped. The subsequent airplane gyrations also damaged the left wing assembly and the airframe. The pilot reported no mechanical problems with the airplane at the time of the accident.