PROVO, UT, USA
N9732A
Cessna 170A
The pilot said that as he approached his destination, he was unable to contact either the airport or other air traffic to obtain wind information to find out which runway was in use. Flying over the airport, he saw that the wind sock indicated the winds were calm, so he landed on runway 13. He said the airplane 'felt soft on the left side' and began 'weaving' down the runway. The left wheel broke off the landing gear, and the airplane ground looped. A witness told the pilot he thought he 'may have experienced a right quartering tail wind gust.' An FAA inspector, who examined the airplane, said the failure appeared to be overload.
On May 24, 1998, approximately 1400 mountain daylight time, N9732A, a Cessna 170A, was substantially damaged during landing at Provo, Utah. The commercial pilot was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the personal flight conducted under Title 14 CFR Part 91. The flight originated in Payson, Arizona, with intermediate stops in Page, Arizona, and Panguitch, Utah. The flight departed Panguitch approximately 1100. In his accident report, the pilot said that as he approached his destination, he was unable to contact either the airport or other air traffic to obtain wind information and to find out what runway was in use. Flying over the airport, he saw that the wind sock indicated the winds were calm so he landed on runway 13. The airplane "felt soft on the left side" and began "weaving" down the runway. The left wheel broke off the landing gear and the airplane ground looped. A witness told the pilot he thought he "may have experienced a right quartering tail wind gust." An FAA inspector who examined the airplane said the failure appeared to be overload.
failure of the pilot to maintain directional control of the airplane. A related factor was the right quartering tailwind gust.
Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database
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