Cessna 170 accident near Buffalo, New York, July 10, 2015
On July 10, 2015 at about 5:50 pm local time, a 1952 Cessna 170, registered CFHER, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (landing roll) near Buffalo, New York (Buffalo Niagara International 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 directional control of the airplane during the landing with a light quartering tailwind, which resulted in the failure of the landing gear and a subsequent ground loop.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 10, 2015 · about 5:50 pm local time
- Place
- Buffalo, New York · Buffalo Niagara International · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 170, built 1952 · all 170s on the register
- Registration
- CFHER · no longer on the register · serial 20292
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airline transport pilot was conducting a personal cross-country flight in the tailwheel-equipped airplane. The pilot reported that he performed a wheel landing, during which a light quartering tailwind existed. As the tailwheel touched down on the runway, the airplane began drifting right. The pilot unsuccessfully attempted to correct the drift by applying left rudder and then left brake. Shortly thereafter, the pilot heard a loud "bang," and the airplane then ground looped left, which resulted in substantial damage to the airframe. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed that the left main landing gear wheel had separated from the landing gear leg. Further examination revealed that two of the four bolts that attached the left main landing gear wheel assembly to the landing gear axle had failed. Examination of the bolts' fracture surfaces revealed signatures consistent with an overload-induced failure due to bending. No evidence of any preexisting corrosion or fatigue of the bolts was observed.
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
- Abnormal runway contact during after landing
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Directional control › Not attained/maintained
- cause Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Wind › Tailwind › Effect on operation
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 12,400 hours in all; 750 in this make and model; 61 in the last 90 days; 41 in the last 30 days; 8,700 as pilot in command; 499 on instruments
- Last flight review: March 25, 2015
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,232 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, December 19, 2014
- Maximum gross weight: 2,200 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Contenental O-300D (piston); 3,086 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: CZBA Burlington at 5:00 pm
- Destination: BUF Buffalo NY
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 14, 7,161 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 9 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 57°F (14°C)
- Altimeter: 30.10 inHg
- Observation at 5:54 pm from BUF
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.