Cessna 170B accident near Roxboro, North Carolina, May 13, 2013
On May 13, 2013, a Cessna 170B, registered N3115B, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (landing roll) near Roxboro, North Carolina (Person County 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 excessive use of wheel brakes while turning off the runway after landing resulting in a noseover.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 13, 2013
- Place
- Roxboro, North Carolina · Person County 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
- N3115B · registry record · serial 25357
- 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 he landed the tailwheel-equipped airplane at the conclusion of a local flight. As he began to turn the airplane off the runway onto the taxiway, he “lost control” and the airplane nosed over, resulting in substantial damage to the left wing. The pilot reported no mechanical malfunctions or anomalies with the airplane, and stated that he should have applied “more rudder and less brake.”
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
- Nose over/nose down during landing (landing roll) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Brake › Incorrect use/operation
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 865 hours in all; 4 in this make and model; 8 in the last 90 days; 8 in the last 30 days; 813 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: May 7, 2013
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,746 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 22, 2012
- Maximum gross weight: 2,200 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Cont Motor O-300 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: TDF Roxboro NC at 11:30 pm
- Destination: TDF Roxboro NC
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 06, 6,005 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 340° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 34°F (1°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:55 pm from TDF
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
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.
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.