Cessna 170 accident near Ponca City, Oklahoma, January 6, 2018
On January 6, 2018 at about 5:00 pm local time, a 1950 Cessna 170, registered N9972A, was substantially damaged in an accident during takeoff near Ponca City, Oklahoma (Ponca City Rgnl airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's loss of directional control during takeoff with a quartering tailwind, which resulted in a runway excursion.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 6, 2018 · about 5:00 pm local time
- Place
- Ponca City, Oklahoma · Ponca City Rgnl · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 170 A, built 1950 · all 170s on the register
- Registration
- N9972A · registry record · serial 19553
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot departed with a quartering tailwind in a tailwheel-equipped airplane. During the takeoff roll, the airplane veered left; the pilot reported that he applied rudder to stop the turn, but the airplane continued to veer left. As the airplane exited the left side of the runway, the right main landing gear separated from the airplane, and the fuselage and right wing sustained substantial damage. Examination revealed that the main landing gear fracture surfaces were consistent with an initiating fatigue fracture that propagated toward an overstress fracture; the size of the fatigue crack before the final overstress fracture could not be determined. It is likely that the pilot lost control of the airplane during takeoff in a quartering tailwind.
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 takeoff defining event
- Runway excursion during takeoff
- Landing gear collapse during takeoff
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
- Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Main landing gear › Failure
- cause Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Wind › Tailwind › Effect on operation
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,128 hours in all; 5 in this make and model; 2,951 as pilot in command; 2,338 on instruments
- Last flight review: July 8, 2017
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,272 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 7, 2017
- Maximum gross weight: 2,200 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Cont Motor C145 SERIES (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PNC Ponca City OK at 5:40 pm
- Destination: WDG Enid OK
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 35, 7,201 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 100° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 30°F (-1°C), dew point 14°F (-10°C)
- Altimeter: 30.37 inHg
- Observation at 5:00 pm from KPNC
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flig | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
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.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number CEN18LA070.