Summary
On September 10, 2016, a Cessna 170 (N8335A) was involved in an incident near Sidney, MT. All 3 people aboard were uninjured. The aircraft sustained substantial damage.
The National Transportation Safety Board determined the probable cause of this incident to be: The student pilot’s improper landing flare, which resulted in a bounced landing, and the flight instructor’s inability to recover the airplane, which resulted in a runway excursion.
The flight instructor reported that during the instructional flight in a tailwheel equipped airplane, the student pilot bounced the landing. The airplane bounced off the grass airstrip and the flight instructor reported that he took the flight controls, but the airplane drifted to the left and into a drainage ditch. The flight instructor reported that he corrected with right rudder application to ease the airplane out of the ditch, but the left landing gear tire deflated and the left wing and the tail struck the ground. The airplane yawed to the left, the instructor corrected the yaw and the airplane rolled onto the runway and stopped.
This incident is documented in NTSB report GAA16CA492. AviatorDB cross-references NTSB investigation data with FAA registry records to provide comprehensive safety information for aircraft N8335A.
Accident Details
Probable Cause and Findings
The student pilot’s improper landing flare, which resulted in a bounced landing, and the flight instructor’s inability to recover the airplane, which resulted in a runway excursion.
Aircraft Information
Registered Owner (Current)
Analysis
The flight instructor reported that during the instructional flight in a tailwheel equipped airplane, the student pilot bounced the landing. The airplane bounced off the grass airstrip and the flight instructor reported that he took the flight controls, but the airplane drifted to the left and into a drainage ditch. The flight instructor reported that he corrected with right rudder application to ease the airplane out of the ditch, but the left landing gear tire deflated and the left wing and the tail struck the ground. The airplane yawed to the left, the instructor corrected the yaw and the airplane rolled onto the runway and stopped. The left wing, left aileron and the elevator sustained substantial damage.
The flight instructor reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions or anomalies prior to landing in the ditch that would have prevented normal flight operation.
Data Source
Data provided by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). For more information on this event, visit the NTSB Records Search website. NTSB# GAA16CA492