Cessna 170B accident near Frederick, Maryland, August 16, 1990
On August 16, 1990 at about 7:30 pm local time, a Cessna 170B, registered N8239A, was substantially damaged in an accident near Frederick, Maryland (Frederick airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
FATIGUE FAILURE OF THE LEFT MAIN GEAR WHEEL AXLE.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 16, 1990 · about 7:30 pm local time · cases in 1990
- Place
- Frederick, Maryland · Frederick · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 170B · all 170Bs on the register
- Registration
- N8239A · registry record · serial 25091
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT WAS DOING HIS ELEVENTH TOUCH AND GO LANDING WHEN THE LEFT MAIN GEAR AXLE FAILED DURING THE LANDING ROLL, CAUSING THE ACFT TO GROUND LOOP. EXAMINATION OF THE ACFT REVEALED THE AXLE WAS FRACTURED AT ITS FLANGE JUNCTION. METALLURGICAL EXAMINATION REVEALED FATIGUE CORROSION ON THE FRACTURE SURFACE.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: student
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 45 hours in all; 13 in this make and model; 13 in the last 90 days; 1 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,200 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded, April 23, 1990; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,200 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Franklin O-300 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: FDK at 6:30 pm
- Destination: FDK
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 23, 5,200 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 150° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 64°F (18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.10 inHg
- Observation at 7:50 pm from MRB, 28 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N8239A on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Cessna 170 2,085 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Cessna 72,677 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Franklin O-300 · as the NTSB recorded it
- Frederick Municipal · nearest airport
- Accidents and incidents in Maryland 837 since 1982 · 111 in the last ten years
- Maryland 2,357 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/BFO90LA069.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.