Classic Aircraft CORP WACO YMF accident near Hamilton, Ohio, July 5, 2017
On July 5, 2017, a Classic Aircraft CORP WACO YMF, registered N17XK, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (landing roll) near Hamilton, Ohio (Butler County Regional Airport). It was an other work-use flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's loss of directional control after landing for reasons that could not be determined because an examination of the airplane did not reveal any anomalies that would have precluded normal operation.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 5, 2017 · cases in 2017
- Place
- Hamilton, Ohio · Butler County Regional Airport · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Classic Aircraft CORP WACO YMF NO SERIES · all WACO YMFs on the register
- Registration
- N17XK · registry record · serial F5C-048
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Other work-use flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The commercial pilot and two passengers had completed a local flight. After a routine touchdown and landing roll, the pilot applied the brakes to initiate a right turn onto a taxiway. The pilot reported that the right brake "grabbed immediately," causing the airplane to ground loop. A postaccident examination and disassembly of the brake system revealed no mechanical anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. The reason for the reported brake malfunction could not be determined.
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
- Landing gear collapse during landing (landing roll)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Directional control › Not attained/maintained
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- cause Not determined › Not determined › (general) › (general) › Unknown/Not determined
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,896.5 hours in all; 48.5 in this make and model; 2.5 in the last 90 days; 1 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: June 29, 2016
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rear
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 582.9 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 18, 2016
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: KHAO Hamilton OH
- Destination: KHAO Hamilton OH
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 11, 5,500 ft by 80 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 020° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 4,900 ft
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 70°F (21°C)
- Altimeter: 30.02 inHg
- Observation at 11:53 pm from KHAO
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
3 documents, released by the NTSB on January 17, 2018. 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, 10 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Pilot Report to FAA | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Memo | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N17XK on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Classic Aircraft Corp WACO YMF 46 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Engine: · as the NTSB recorded it
- Butler County Rgnl/Hogan Field · nearest airport
- Accidents and incidents in Ohio 1,884 since 1982 · 253 in the last ten years
- Ohio 8,528 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/CEN17LA322.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.