Pilot Debrief

CESSNA 170 near Williston, FL — 2017-04-15

Final reportERA17FA155
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Date
2017-04-15
Location
Williston, FL, USA
Airport
X60
Aircraft
CESSNA 170
Registration
N4244V
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
Fatal
Fatalities
4
Phase of flight
Initial climb

Probable cause

The pilot's failure to maintain adequate airspeed during initial climb in gusty wind conditions, which resulted in the airplane exceeding its critical angle-of-attack and experiencing an aerodynamic stall/spin.

NTSB narrative

***This report was modified on October 15, 2018. Please see the docket for this accident to view the original report.*** The commercial pilot and three passengers were making a personal cross-country flight in the airplane. After a refueling stop, the airplane taxied to the runway and departed. Security video and flight data showed that the airplane had just departed the airport and was about 280 ft above the ground when it stalled and spun to the left, impacting the ground in a nose-down attitude. Post-accident examination of the engine and airframe revealed no evidence of a mechanical anomaly or failure that would have precluded normal operation of the airplane. The recorded weather at the airport at the time of the accident included a right-quartering headwind at 8 knots gusting to 17 knots. The flight data revealed that the airplane slowed to an estimated airspeed (ground speed with correction applied for reported wind conditions) of around 49 to 51 knots just before the stall occurred, which was near the airplane's published power-on stall speed of 46 knots; however, the gusting wind conditions likely resulted in a further decrease of the airplane's airspeed and increase of its angle-of-attack.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Loss of control
First missed decision gate
Pilot could have aborted takeoff after initial climb issues.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

  • Video
  • ADS-B / radar
  • Photos
  • 18 docket documents
View NTSB final reportView NTSB docket

Docket documents18

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