Skip to content

SEA05CA135

2005-06-28 · Laurel, Montana, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport 6S8

Current FAA registration · N2619D

Make / Model
CESSNA 170B
Year of manufacture
1952 · 53 years old at event
Engine
LYCOMING O&VO-360 SER (180 hp)
Seats / Engines
4 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date
19760604
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S A2864B

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The flight instructor's failure to maintain directional control during the landing roll, which resulted in an inadvertent ground loop. A contributing factor was the flight instructor's diverted attention to talking with the student.

Factual narrative

On June 28, 2005, approximately 0800 mountain daylight time, a Cessna 170B, N2619D, sustained substantial damage when it encountered terrain following a loss of control during the landing roll on runway 04 at the Laurel Municipal Airport, Laurel, Montana. The flight instructor and the private pilot rated student were not injured. The airplane was registered to and operated by the student. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed for the local instructional flight conducted under 14 CFR Part 91. The flight departed from Laurel Municipal Airport about 0715. According to the flight instructor, the purpose of the flight was to work on landings. After the student completed two landings on runway 22, the instructor suggested they switch to runway 04 "as the wind sock was showing some movement from the east." The instructor then made two landings on runway 04. During the landing roll of the second landing, she was discussing the landing with the student and looked over at him. The airplane "veered to the right into the grass," and the addition of power did not stop the airplane from ground looping. The left wing and left elevator contacted the ground and sustained structural damage. According to the flight instructor, the purpose of the flight was to work on landings. After the student completed two landings on runway 22, the instructor suggested they switch to runway 04 "as the wind sock was showing some movement from the east." The instructor then made two landings on runway 04. During the landing roll of the second landing, she was discussing the landing with the student and looked over at him. The airplane "veered to the right into the grass," and the addition of power did not stop the airplane from ground looping. The left wing and left elevator contacted the ground and sustained structural damage. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2005_SEA05CA135.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

Related research

Matched on aircraft type or causal vocabulary (loss of control). All research papers