SEA98LA075

Factual narrative

On May 17, 1998, approximately 1600 Pacific daylight time, a Cessna 170, N2534V, was substantially damaged when it departed the runway surface during landing at Auburn Municipal Airport, Auburn, Washington. The private pilot-in-command, who was the aircraft's owner and its sole occupant, was not injured. The 14 CFR 91 personal flight was on a visual flight rules (VFR) flight plan from Astoria, Oregon, and visual meteorological conditions existed at the time of the accident. The pilot reported: ...I landed [to the south]...and started my rollout, when a gust of wind picked up my right wing [and blew] me off the runway. I added power [and] my left wing tip hit the ground [and] turned the plane 90 [degrees], I flew over to a field that was [soft] about 100' away [and] cut the power and let it settle down. The ground was soft [and] my right wheel dug in the dirt. The plane tilted over on the wing [and] bent the right wing tip[, then] bounced back on its wheels. The pilot reported winds at the airport at that time as being from 090 degrees at 17 knots, gusting to 25 knots. The pilot indicated on his NTSB accident report that no mechanical malfunction or failure was involved in the accident. As to how the accident could have been prevented, the pilot recommended on his NTSB accident report: "Waiting to land when winds are not as strong." Seattle/Tacoma International Airport, approximately 8 nautical miles north-northwest of Auburn Municipal, reported winds from 220 degrees true (200 degrees magnetic) at 11 knots at 1556. The 1556 Seattle/Tacoma observation reported that rain there ended at 1529, and also reported moderate cumulus and showers to the northeast and east of Seattle/Tacoma International. Auburn's single runway, runway 16/34, is a 3,400 by 75 foot asphalt-surface runway. The airport is equipped with a windsock and segmented circle located at approximately midfield, to the west of the runway. The pilot reported that after starting his landing rollout, 'a gust of wind picked up my right wing [and] blew me off the runway.' The pilot reported his left wingtip subsequently struck the ground, turning the plane 90 degrees, and that the airplane then touched down in a soft field about 100 feet away. The airplane's right main wheel dug in and the airplane tipped up on its right wing. The pilot reported a crosswind from the left at 17 knots, gusting to 25 knots, during the landing, and reported no mechanical malfunction or failure was involved. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12