Skip to content

Atlas / NTSB / ANC10CA052

NTSB CAROL · Event

Event ANC10CA052

2010-06-11 Palmer, Alaska, United States Airport · 4AK6 None 1 aircraft Status: Completed

Registry · N2886C

FAA Aircraft Registry record.

Make / Model

CESSNA 170B

Year of manufacture

1954 · 56 years old at event

Engine

CONT MOTOR C145 SERIES (145 hp)

Seats / Engines

4 seats · 1 engine

Last airworthiness date

19550902

ADS-B equipped

Yes — Mode-S A2EEE0

Registrant of record

PARKS WALTER G

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The pilot's failure to maintain directional control while landing in variable wind conditions.

Factual narrative

The pilot reported that at the conclusion of a Title 14, CFR Part 91 personal flight, he landed his tailwheel airplane on a hard-surfaced runway. During the landing roll, he said he lost directional control, and the airplane ground-looped to the right, damaging the left wing, left aileron, and left elevator. The pilot indicated the wind was 5 to 8 knots and variable in direction. He noted that had he been more aware of its variable direction, he would have slowed his taxi speed and anticipated a possible wind shift. He said there were no preaccident mechanical problems with the airplane. The pilot reported that at the conclusion of a Title 14, CFR Part 91 personal flight, he landed his tailwheel airplane on a hard-surfaced runway. During the landing roll, he said he lost directional control, and the airplane ground-looped to the right, damaging the left wing, left aileron, and left elevator. The pilot indicated the wind was 5 to 8 knots and variable in direction. He noted that had he been more aware of its variable direction, he would have slowed his taxi speed and anticipated a possible wind shift. He said there were no preaccident mechanical problems with the airplane. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

Hierarchical cause / factor breakdown from the FAA bulk avdata database. Each finding tagged C (Cause) or F (Factor).

  • C Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Directional control-Not attained/maintained - C
  • C Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot - C
  • Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Wind-Variable wind-Contributed to outcome

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2010_ANC10CA052.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.