Cessna 170A accident near Butler, Missouri, October 24, 2008
On October 24, 2008 at about 11:00 pm local time, a Cessna 170A, registered N5773C, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (landing roll) near Butler, Missouri (Butler Memorial Airport). It was a personal 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
The pilot's failure to maintain directional control and his failure to compensate for wind conditions which resulted in a ground loop.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 24, 2008 · about 11:00 pm local time
- Place
- Butler, Missouri · Butler Memorial Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 170A · all 170As on the register
- Registration
- N5773C · no longer on the register · serial 19727
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
While performing a landing in gusty crosswinds, the student pilot lost directional control of the tail-wheeled airplane and veered off the 4,000-foot by 75-foot runway. After the airplane left the runway surface, the airplane hit a bump and "ground-looped." The pilot added that this accident could have been avoided by executing a crosswind landing with greater proficiency. The pilot further reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane.
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
What happened, in order
- Loss of control on ground during landing (landing roll) defining event
- Runway excursion during landing (landing roll)
- Dragged wing/rotor/float/other during landing (landing roll)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Student pilot
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Wind › (general) › Response/compensation
Pilot
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 180 hours in all; 24 in this make and model; 35 in the last 90 days; 25 in the last 30 days; 35 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: September 25, 2008
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,120 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 9, 2008
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Cont Motor C145 SERIES (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: KBUM Butler MO
- Destination: KBUM Butler MO
- Flight plan: not recorded
- Runway 18, 4,000 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 240° at 8 knots, gusting 12
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 2,000 ft
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 61°F (16°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight 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.
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 never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.