Cessna 170B accident near Roswell, New Mexico, May 13, 2009
On May 13, 2009 at about 3:00 pm local time, a Cessna 170B, registered N3210A, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (landing roll) near Roswell, New Mexico (Roswell International Air Cent 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 while landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 13, 2009 · about 3:00 pm local time · cases in 2009
- Place
- Roswell, New Mexico · Roswell International Air Cent · 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
- N3210A · no longer on the register · serial 25854
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was cleared by tower personnel and elected to land with a right quartering tailwind. During the landing roll the tailwheel-equipped airplane began to swerve to the right. The pilot attempted to arrest the swerve by applying full left rudder to no avail. The airplane departed the edge of the runway, nosed over, and came to rest in an inverted position. The vertical stabilizer and rudder sustained structural damage during the accident. There were no reported anomalies with the airplane's flight controls.
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)
- Nose over/nose down during landing (landing roll)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Directional control › Not attained/maintained
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 2,630 hours in all; 64 in this make and model; 40 in the last 90 days; 14 in the last 30 days; 2,630 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: February 21, 2009
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,375 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 16, 2008
- Maximum gross weight: 2,200 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Cont Motor C145 SERIES (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: ATS Artesia NM at 2:50 pm
- Destination: ROW Roswell NM
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 35, 9,999 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 140° at 8 knots, gusting 12
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 50°F (10°C)
- Altimeter: 29.87 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
1 document, released by the NTSB on June 25, 2009. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Other NTSB records under N3210A the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N3210A: not on the register today · the record of its deregistration
- Cessna 170 2,085 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Cessna 72,677 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Cont Motor C145 SERIES 1,828 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Roswell Air Center Airport · nearest airport
- Artesia Municipal · departed from
- Accidents and incidents in New Mexico 1,423 since 1982 · 184 in the last ten years
- New Mexico 3,113 aircraft registered
- Other NTSB records under N3210A 2 records · the number may have belonged to another aircraft at the time
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/CEN09CA293.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.