Cessna 170A accident near Hanford, California, April 6, 2006
On April 6, 2006 at about 1:15 am local time, a Cessna 170A, registered N5561C, was substantially damaged in an accident near Hanford, California (Hanford 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.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 6, 2006 · about 1:15 am local time
- Place
- Hanford, California · Hanford Municipal Airport · 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
- N5561C · registry record · serial 19614
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane ground looped while on the landing roll. The pilot, who had just purchased the airplane and only had 11 hours experience in tail wheel equipped aircraft, was attempting a wheel landing with no flaps. Upon touchdown, the airplane veered to the left of the runway centerline. The pilot lowered the tail wheel, and as it came into contact with the runway surface, the airplane swerved to the right. The pilot attempted to correct the veering by applying full left rudder input and brake pressure. With the airplane diverging about 30 degrees from the runway centerline, the pilot opted to make a go-around and applied full power. The airplane departed off the right side of the runway into the soft mud of a recently plowed field. The airplane nosed over when the landing gear encountered soft mud.
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: airline transport pilot, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 5,500 hours in all; 11 in this make and model; 11 in the last 90 days; 6 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1
The aircraft
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-300A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: HJO Hanford CA
- Destination: HJO Hanford CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 32, 5,175 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: scat
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.02 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.
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.