Cessna 170 accident near Stoney Point, North Carolina, April 2, 2022
On April 2, 2022 at about 10:50 pm local time, a 1948 Cessna 170, registered N2656V, was substantially damaged in an accident during approach (VFR go-around) near Stoney Point, North Carolina (Steve Miller Airstrip airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s failure to retract the flaps during a go-around from a bounced landing, which resulted in a collision with trees then terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 2, 2022 · about 10:50 pm local time
- Place
- Stoney Point, North Carolina · Steve Miller Airstrip · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 170 UNDESIGNAT, built 1948 · all 170s on the register
- Registration
- N2656V · registry record · serial 18166
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane owner, who was a student pilot, reported that the pilot-rated passenger was the pilot flying. During landing, the airplane bounced and the owner took control of the airplane and initiated a go-around. He stated that the airplane was slow to climb with the flaps fully extended and they cleared the first tree line but impacted another tree farther away from the airstrip. The owner reported he did not recall anything after the tree contact but did say that there was nothing mechanically wrong with the airframe or engine. The airplane came to rest upright among small diameter trees in a nose-low, tail high attitude with the right wing substantially damaged.
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 approach (VFR go-around) defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during uncontrolled descent
The NTSB's findings
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Configuration › Incorrect use/operation
- Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Flight control system › TE flap control system › Incorrect use/operation
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Use of equip/system › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 755 hours in all; 155 in this make and model; 20 in the last 90 days; 10 in the last 30 days; 755 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: serious injuries
Pilot-Rated Passenger
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 416 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,250 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 1, 2021
- Maximum gross weight: 2,200 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-300 (piston); 3,250 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: NC58 Taylorsville NC
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 2, 1,391 ft by 90 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 140° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 10,000 ft
- Temperature: 59°F (15°C), dew point 34°F (1°C)
- Altimeter: 29.96 inHg
- Observation at 6:55 pm from KSVH, 7 miles away
Weather report (METAR): KSVH 022255Z AUTO 14003KT 10SM OVC100 15/01 A2996 RMK AO2 T01500009
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
5 documents, released by the NTSB on June 1, 2022. 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 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 14 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Record of NTSB Conversations | PDF, 6 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Record of FAA Conversations | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 4 | Investigative Photographs | PDF, 4 pages | View Download |
| 5 | Release of Aircraft Wreckage, NTSB Form 6120.15 | 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.
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.