NTSB CEN13CA544 — 2013-09-11 · Victoria, Texas, United States

Current FAA registration · N170TP

Make / Model: CESSNA 170A
Year of manufacture: 1950 · 63 years old at event
Engine: CONT MOTOR C145 SERIES (145 hp)
Seats / Engines: 4 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date: 19561111
ADS-B equipped: Yes — Mode-S A11AE4

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

N170TP Cessna 170A None

Probable cause & findings

The student pilot's inadequate compensation for the crosswind, which resulted in a loss of directional control.

Factual narrative

According to the student pilot, he was returning to land after practicing flight maneuvers and thetower controller cleared him to land on runway 13. The pilot added that he observed the wind was light, with an occasional gust. He landed the airplane just past the threshold and was trying to slow down, when a gust of wind lifted the left wing. The airplane lifted up, flipped over, and came to rest inverted. Examination of the airplane revealed substantial damage to the vertical stabilizer and rudder. The pilot reported no mechanical anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. According to the student pilot, he was returning to land after practicing flight maneuvers and thetower controller cleared him to land on runway 13. The pilot added that he observed the wind was light, with an occasional gust. He landed the airplane just past the threshold and was trying to slow down, when a gust of wind lifted the left wing. The airplane lifted up, flipped over, and came to rest inverted. Examination of the airplane revealed substantial damage to the vertical stabilizer and rudder. The pilot reported no mechanical anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

C Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Directional control-Not attained/maintained - C
C Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Wind-Crosswind-Response/compensation - C

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2013_CEN13CA544.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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