Cessna 170A accident near West Helena, Arkansas, December 22, 2002
On December 22, 2002 at about 10:00 pm local time, a Cessna 170A, registered N1392D, was substantially damaged in an accident near West Helena, Arkansas (West Helena Municipal 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 during landing. A contributing factor was the deflated tire.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 22, 2002 · about 10:00 pm local time
- Place
- West Helena, Arkansas · West Helena Municipal · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 170A · all 170As on the register
- Registration
- N1392D · registry record · serial 19968
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The 850-hour pilot lost of control of the tail-wheel equipped airplane while landing with a flat tire. The pilot stated that after an uneventful flight, he "landed hard" on Runway 17 and executed a go-around to set up for another approach/landing. Upon landing, the airplane ground looped and skidded off the runway to the left, in a 45 degree angle. The pilot further stated that he believed that the airplane had "blown" the right tire during the first hard landing, and upon touchdown after the go-around, the blown tire contributed to the ground loop.
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
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 850 hours in all; 20 in this make and model; 25 in the last 90 days; 0 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: February 22, 2000
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection
- Maximum gross weight: 2,200 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-300-A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: CKM Clarkesdale MS at 9:00 pm
- Destination: HEE West Helena AR
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 17, 5,000 ft by 96 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 170° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 12,000 ft; clear
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 39°F (4°C)
- Altimeter: 29.90 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number FTW03LA074.