Cessna 170A accident near Hardin, Texas, November 2, 2022
On November 2, 2022 at about 9:33 am local time, a 1949 Cessna 170A, registered N9244A, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near Hardin, Texas (Circle C Ranch 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 clearance from the powerlines while landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 2, 2022 · about 9:33 am local time · cases in 2022
- Place
- Hardin, Texas · Circle C Ranch Airport · 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 170A, built 1949 · all 170As on the register
- Registration
- N9244A · registry record · serial 19005
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that while landing on a friend’s private airstrip the airplane struck wires that crossed the approach end of the runway. He continued the landing on the airstrip and the airplane departed the left side of the runway. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical problems with the airplane and that he just did not see the wires in time to avoid them. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the rudder. The owner of the airstrip had previously purchased orange markers to attach to the wires to aid visibility, but the electric power company had not yet attached the markers to the wires when the accident happened. After the accident the markers were placed on the wires.
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
- Collision during takeoff/land during landing defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Wire › Awareness of condition
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Wire › Ability to respond/compensate
- Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Identification/recognition › Pilot
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Altitude › Not attained/maintained
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 15,000 hours in all; 200 in this make and model
- Last flight review: February 1, 2022
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 2,200 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-300 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: T41 La Porte TX
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 36, 2,280 ft by 45 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 070° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 3,500 ft
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 61°F (16°C)
- Altimeter: 30.24 inHg
- Observation at 9:30 am from KBMT, 26 miles away
Weather report (METAR): METAR KBMT 021430Z AUTO 07003KT 10SM OVC035 18/16 A3024 RMK AO2 T01750156=
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Photographs from the investigation 3 pictures from the NTSB's docket, as the NTSB released them
The NTSB's photographs with the NTSB's captions, at screen size. Open a picture to see it full size or to report one that should not be shown.
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
2 documents, released by the NTSB on February 11, 2023. 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 | Photographs | PDF, 3 pages · our copy | View Download |
| 2 | Record of Conversation with Pilot | 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
- N9244A 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 72,684 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Continental O-300 6,625 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Circle C Ranch Airport · nearest airport
- LA Porte Municipal · departed from
- Accidents and incidents in Texas 6,244 since 1982 · 1,065 in the last ten years
- Texas 29,945 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/CEN23LA024.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.