Cessna 170B accident near Faith, South Dakota, July 20, 2025
On July 20, 2025 at about 6:50 pm local time, a 1954 Cessna 170B, registered N3443C, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (landing roll) near Faith, South Dakota (Faith Municipal Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were 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 during the landing roll with crosswind.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 20, 2025 · about 6:50 pm local time
- Place
- Faith, South Dakota · Faith Municipal Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 170B, built 1954 · all 170Bs on the register
- Registration
- N3443C · registry record · serial 26486
- 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, the airplane touched down and ground looped. During the ground loop, the right wing and horizontal stabilizer struck the ground. The airplane subsequently went nose down and came to rest back upright, which resulted in substantial damage to the right wing and horizontal stabilizer. At the time of the accident, the pilot was landing the airplane on runway 13 with wind from 110° at 11 knots. The pilot did not submit the National Transportation Safety Board Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident/Incident Report Form 6120.1.
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
The NTSB's findings
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Directional control › Not attained/maintained
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Wind › Crosswind › Effect on operation
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot, private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,100 hours in all; 210 in this make and model
- Last flight review: December 17, 2024
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: unk
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,694 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental C145 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Runway 13, 4,191 ft by 61 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 110° at 11 knots
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 64°F (18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.93 inHg
- Observation at 12:56 pm from KD07
Weather report (METAR): KD07 201856Z AUTO 11011KT 21/18 A2993 RMK A01 SLP125 T02060183
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Photographs from the investigation 2 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 December 4, 2025. 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 | Memorandum for Record A�� FAA 8020-23 | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 2 | Photo Array | PDF, 3 pages · our copy | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
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.