Cessna 170 N9534A

Summary

On 23 January 2023 at about 23:30 local time, a Cessna 170 registered N9534A was involved in an accident near Mesa, Arizona, United States. 3 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

23 January 2023 at 23:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Mesa, Arizona, United States

Nearest airport

Phoenix-Mesa Gateway (KIWA)

Coordinates

33.3100, -111.6600

Aircraft

Cessna 170

Registration

N9534A

Category

Airplane

Year built

1949

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR23LA096

Nobody was injured.

The pilot’s failure to maintain directional control during the landing roll out and the preexisting fatigue cracks in the left main landing gear leg, which resulted in the leg’s premature overstress fracture during the ground loop.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot receiving instruction was conducting takeoffs and landings to regain tailwheel currency. During the second landing’s roll out, the airplane began to veer left of the runway centerline. The pilot applied correction with right rudder; however, he overcorrected and the airplane veered to the right. The pilot and the flight instructor both applied left rudder and brake to counteract the veer to the right. However, the veer to the right developed into a ground loop and the left main landing gear leg fractured. The airplane dropped onto the fractured end of the landing gear leg and came to rest upright. A metallurgical examination of the fractured landing gear leg revealed small fatigue cracks along the radius of the brake line retainer clip bore and outboard face. These small fatigue cracks concentrated stress in the radius, facilitating a premature overstress fracture due to the stresses on the part during the landing.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.