NTSB CEN20LA415 — 2020-09-20 · San Antonio, Texas, United States

Current FAA registration · N4019V

Make / Model: CESSNA 170
Year of manufacture: 1948 · 72 years old at event
Engine: CONT MOTOR C145 SERIES (145 hp)
Seats / Engines: 4 seats · 1 engine
ADS-B equipped: Yes — Mode-S A4B3FF

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

N4019V Cessna 170 None

Probable cause & findings

The pilot’s inadequate compensation for gusting crosswind conditions while landing, which resulted a loss of lateral control and impact with a fence.

Factual narrative

The pilot reported that, during landing on runway 35, a gust of wind pushed the airplane to the right and that it then struck an airport perimeter fence at the edge of the airport property. The fence was located about 100 ft right of the runway centerline. The aft fuselage and the left horizontal stabilizer were substantially damaged. An airport observation station located about 10 miles from the accident site reported wind from 020° at 10 knots, gusting to 15 knots. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical “problems” with the airplane. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

— Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Crosswind correction-Not attained/maintained
— Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot
— Environmental issues-Physical environment-Object/animal/substance-Fence/fence post-Effect on operation
— Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Wind-Crosswind-Effect on operation

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2020_CEN20LA415.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

Search this event elsewhere

External sources are reported, not agency: signal that something happened, not fact about what happened.

Related research

Matched on aircraft type. All research papers