Cessna 170A accident near Smithfield, North Carolina, June 2, 2007
On June 2, 2007 at about 8:16 pm local time, a Cessna 170A, registered N9910A, was substantially damaged in an accident near Smithfield, North Carolina (Johnston County 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
Collapse of the left main landing gear during landing, for undetermined reasons, which resulted in substantial damage during a runway excursion.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 2, 2007 · about 8:16 pm local time
- Place
- Smithfield, North Carolina · Johnston County 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
- N9910A · registry record · serial 19270
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane landed on a 5,500-foot-long, 100-foot-wide, asphalt runway. About 1,000 feet into the landing roll, the left main landing gear collapsed. The airplane initially veered left, then veered right, and came to rest in a grass area off the right side of the runway. The pilot did not report the accident, but a maintenance facility reported it 12 days later. The owner of the maintenance facility stated that four bolts, which secured the left main landing gear wheel to the strut, had sheared. The pilot subsequently stated that the bolts appeared to be "rusty." A request was made for the maintenance facility to have the bolts forwarded to the Safety Board's Materials Laboratory, Washington, D.C. for examination; however, the maintenance facility had already discarded the bolts while repairing the airplane. The airplane had been operated for approximately 40 hours, since its last annual inspection, which was performed about 2 months prior to the accident.
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
- Flight time: 295 hours in all; 25 in this make and model; 14 in the last 90 days; 6 in the last 30 days; 220 as pilot in command; 0 on instruments
- Last flight review: May 1, 2006
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,540 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 1, 2007; 40 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,200 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental C-145 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SC37 Cross SC at 6:25 pm
- Destination: JNX Smithfield NC
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 3, 5,500 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 150° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 61°F (16°C)
- Altimeter: 29.94 inHg
- Observation at 8:06 pm from JNX
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.
Other NTSB records under N9910A the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.