Pilot Debrief

CESSNA 170 near Summerdale, AL — 2026-01-29

Final reportERA26LA101
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Date
2026-01-29
Location
Summerdale, AL, USA
Airport
4AL6
Aircraft
CESSNA 170
Registration
N4178V
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
Minor
Fatalities
0

Probable cause

The pilot’s decision to abort the takeoff with insufficient runway remaining, which resulted in a runway overrun and impact with a fence post.

NTSB narrative

While attempting to take off from a 2,100-ft-long turf runway the pilot observed an abnormal airspeed indication and aborted the takeoff. The airplane then overran the runway, impacted a fence post with the left main landing gear, and nosed over resulting in substantial damage to the right wing and vertical stabilizer. After the accident, the pilot suspected that the pitot tube butterfly cover may have become stuck resulting in the erroneous airspeed indication. Postaccident examination of the airplane’s pitot tube butterfly cover by an FAA inspector revealed no evidence of any preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. Had the pilot aborted the takeoff sooner, or continued the takeoff despite the airspeed indication anomaly, it is likely that the accident could have been prevented.

NTSB coding

View NTSB final report

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