Cessna 170 accident near Auburn, New York, January 11, 2018
On January 11, 2018 at about 4:00 pm local time, a 1954 Cessna 170, registered N1997C, was substantially damaged in an accident during taxi (from runway) near Auburn, New York (Murphy Field). 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).
Preview. This page is not yet listed for search engines.
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s improper wind correction inputs while taxiing with a quartering tailwind.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 11, 2018 · about 4:00 pm local time
- Place
- Auburn, New York · Murphy Field · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 170 B, built 1954 · all 170s on the register
- Registration
- N1997C · registry record · serial 26142
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot of the tailwheel-equipped airplane reported that, during taxi after landing, he initially applied forward and right yoke inputs because of the tailwind but transitioned to back and left yoke inputs because the runway was soft and wet. He added that the airplane encountered a left quartering tailwind gust and spun into an adjacent soy bean field. The pilot exited the airplane to examine the damage, at which point another wind gust flipped the airplane inverted. The pilot reported that, after he exited the airplane, he observed windshield damage before the second wind gust occurred. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the windshield. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot reported that the wind was from the southwest between 8 and 15 knots. The airplane was taxiing north. The Federal Aviation Administration's Airplane Flying Handbook, FAA-H-8083-3B, contained a section titled "Taxiing," which stated the following: When taxiing with a quartering tailwind, the elevator should be held in the DOWN position, and the upwind aileron, DOWN. Since the wind is striking the airplane from behind, these control positions reduce the tendency of the wind to get under the tail and the wing and to nose the airplane over. The application of these crosswind taxi corrections helps to minimize the weathervaning tendency and ultimately results in making the airplane easier to steer.
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
- Other weather encounter during taxi (from runway)
- Loss of control on ground during taxi (from runway)
- Nose over/nose down during taxi (from runway) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Crosswind correction › Not attained/maintained
- cause Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Wind › Tailwind › Effect on operation
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Wind › Gusts › Effect on operation
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Runway/land/takeoff/taxi surface › Soft surface › Effect on operation
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 5,215 hours in all; 82 in this make and model
- Last flight review: December 1, 2016
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,056.9 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 17, 2017
- Maximum gross weight: 2,200 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Cont Motor C145 SERIES (piston); 2,056 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 6B9 Skaneateles NY at 4:00 pm
- Destination: 06NY Auburn NY
- Flight plan: VFR
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 160° at 11 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 8,000 ft
- Temperature: 46°F (8°C), dew point 36°F (2°C)
- Altimeter: 30.20 inHg
- Observation at 3:56 pm from KITH, 22 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flig | 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 GAA18CA100.