Cessna 170 N170W accident near Benson, Arizona

Probable cause

The pilot’s failure to maintain directional control during landing.

NTSB analysis

The pilot reported that, during the landing roll, the tailwheel-equipped airplane veered left and began to bounce. He applied right rudder correction, which quickly turned the airplane right toward the centerline, and he then applied left rudder to realign with the runway heading. He increased the engine power setting to full to perform a go-around, but the airplane, during its third bounce, ground looped to the left. The right wing impacted the ground, and the airplane came to rest on its right side with the wing at a 90° angle.

The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right wing.

The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.

The pilot reported that the automated weather observation system located on the airport reported that, about 15 minutes before the accident, the wind was light and variable at 2 knots, gusting to 5 knots. The airplane landed on runway 28.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for GAA18CA339 for the full record.