Pilot Debrief

CESSNA 170A near Calexico, CA — 2012-10-27

Final reportWPR13CA024
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Date
2012-10-27
Location
Calexico, CA, USA
Airport
cxl
Aircraft
CESSNA 170A
Registration
N1332D
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
None
Fatalities
0
Phase of flight
Landing

Probable cause

The pilot's failure to maintain directional control during an attempted go-around, which resulted in a runway excursion.

NTSB narrative

The private pilot/co-owner of the tailwheel-equipped airplane overflew the non-towered, paved airport to determine the wind conditions, which he determined to be from the northwest about 6 to 8 knots. He then flew a traffic pattern for landing on runway 26. During the landing flare the airplane began to drift left of the runway centerline, and at touchdown the tail of the airplane swerved to the left. The pilot unsuccessfully attempted to correct the airplane's path then initiated a go-around. He reported that after adding full power for the go-around, the airplane was headed to the right, at an angle that he estimated to be about 45 degrees from the runway alignment. Before the airplane could become airborne, it exited the right side of the runway and struck a low earthen berm. The airplane came to rest upright, with the right main landing gear fractured and separated from the fuselage. Additional damage included a bent propeller, a crushed nose cowl, crush damage to the lower fuselage, and bending and crush damage to both wings. There were no recorded meteorological data for the accident airport, but review of meteorological data from an airport about 10 miles north indicated conditions similar to those reported by the pilot. The pilot reported approximately 2,000 hours of a total flight experience, including about 30 hours in the accident airplane make and model in the past 30 days. The pilot reported no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation and that he was uncertain why he lost directional control.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Loss of control
First missed decision gate
Pilot could have aborted landing earlier to avoid loss of control.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

  • Photos
  • 5 docket documents
View NTSB final reportView NTSB docket

Docket documents5

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