Cessna 170A N1332D accident near Calexico, California

Probable cause

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

NTSB analysis

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.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for WPR13CA024 for the full record.