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Atlas / NTSB / WPR25LA033

NTSB CAROL · Event

Event WPR25LA033

2024-11-08 Lancaster, California, United States Airport · WJF None 1 aircraft Status: Completed

Registry · N1977C

FAA Aircraft Registry record.

Make / Model

CESSNA 170B

Year of manufacture

1953 · 71 years old at event

Engine

CONT MOTOR C145 SERIES (145 hp)

Seats / Engines

4 seats · 1 engine

Last airworthiness date

19551031

ADS-B equipped

Yes — Mode-S A1857C

Registrant of record

BERQUAM PAUL

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The pilot's failure to maintain directional control during the landing roll, which resulted in a ground loop.

Factual narrative

The pilot of the tailwheel-equipped airplane reported that during a touch-and-go maneuver, the airplane veered left, and he corrected with right rudder pedal input. However, the airplane continued to veer left, and the pilot closed the throttle and applied the brakes. Subsequently, the airplane ground looped and the right wing impacted the ground, which resulted in substantial damage to the right wing and aileron. The pilot stated that about 15 minutes after the accident the wind report showed a quartering tailwind. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. 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).

  • Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot
  • Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Directional control-Not attained/maintained
  • Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Wind-Tailwind-Effect on operation

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2024_WPR25LA033.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.