Summary
On May 23, 2013, a Cessna 170B (N3119A) was involved in an incident near Danville, IN. All 1 person aboard were uninjured. The aircraft sustained substantial damage.
The National Transportation Safety Board determined the probable cause of this incident to be: The pilot not maintaining directional control of the airplane during the landing roll resulting in the ground loop.
The pilot said that the purpose of the flight was to accumulate two hours solo flight time in reference to insurance requirements. He stated that during his second landing round out, he saw the airspeed was 65 mph, he reduced engine power to idle, and banked with a “slight” right wing low into the wind. The tail wheel airplane touched down with right main and then left main. The pilot reported that he “got really light on my wheels” and swerved to the right. He swerved to left and the swerves were subsequently getting worse. He said that he could not get the aircraft straightened out. The left wheel skidded on runway and the airplane came to rest on the pavement with the pilot’s door open. The pilot’s door would not close and the pilot taxied the airplane back to the hanger.
This incident is documented in NTSB report CEN13CA306. AviatorDB cross-references NTSB investigation data with FAA registry records to provide comprehensive safety information for aircraft N3119A.
Accident Details
Probable Cause and Findings
The pilot not maintaining directional control of the airplane during the landing roll resulting in the ground loop.
Aircraft Information
Registered Owner (Current)
Analysis
The pilot said that the purpose of the flight was to accumulate two hours solo flight time in reference to insurance requirements. He stated that during his second landing round out, he saw the airspeed was 65 mph, he reduced engine power to idle, and banked with a “slight” right wing low into the wind. The tail wheel airplane touched down with right main and then left main. The pilot reported that he “got really light on my wheels” and swerved to the right. He swerved to left and the swerves were subsequently getting worse. He said that he could not get the aircraft straightened out. The left wheel skidded on runway and the airplane came to rest on the pavement with the pilot’s door open. The pilot’s door would not close and the pilot taxied the airplane back to the hanger. During a post flight inspection, the pilot discovered white dust on the left main tire. He subsequently found his tire marks just north of the midfield turn off and followed the marks to their end where he found three pieces of the left wheel half. The pilot reported that there were no airplane mechanical malfunctions in reference to the flight. A subsequent examination of the airplane revealed substantial fuselage and landing gear box damage.
Data Source
Data provided by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). For more information on this event, visit the NTSB Records Search website. NTSB# CEN13CA306