Cessna 170 accident near Mesa, Arizona, January 23, 2023
On January 23, 2023 at about 11:30 pm local time, a 1949 Cessna 170, registered N9534A, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (landing roll) near Mesa, Arizona (Phoenix-Mesa Gateway airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s failure to maintain directional control during the landing roll out and the preexisting fatigue cracks in the left main landing gear leg, which resulted in the leg’s premature overstress fracture during the ground loop.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 23, 2023 · about 11:30 pm local time
- Place
- Mesa, Arizona · Phoenix-Mesa Gateway · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 170 A, built 1949 · all 170s on the register
- Registration
- N9534A · registry record · serial 19095
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot receiving instruction was conducting takeoffs and landings to regain tailwheel currency. During the second landing’s roll out, the airplane began to veer left of the runway centerline. The pilot applied correction with right rudder; however, he overcorrected and the airplane veered to the right. The pilot and the flight instructor both applied left rudder and brake to counteract the veer to the right. However, the veer to the right developed into a ground loop and the left main landing gear leg fractured. The airplane dropped onto the fractured end of the landing gear leg and came to rest upright. A metallurgical examination of the fractured landing gear leg revealed small fatigue cracks along the radius of the brake line retainer clip bore and outboard face. These small fatigue cracks concentrated stress in the radius, facilitating a premature overstress fracture due to the stresses on the part during the landing.
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
- Loss of control on ground during landing (landing roll) defining event
- Landing gear collapse during landing (landing roll)
The NTSB's findings
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Directional control › Not attained/maintained
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Main landing gear › Failure
- Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Main landing gear › Fatigue/wear/corrosion
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 17,654 hours in all; 1 in this make and model; 6 in the last 90 days; 2 in the last 30 days; 16,556 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: January 21, 2023
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Flight instructor
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; multi-engine sea; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: airship
- Flight time: 27,000 hours in all; 27 in this make and model; 41 in the last 90 days; 15 in the last 30 days; 20,000 as pilot in command; 1,500 on instruments
- Last flight review: November 16, 2022
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
Passenger
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,102 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 10, 2022; 38 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,200 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-300-D (piston); 4,140 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 12L, 9,300 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 240° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 7,000 ft
- Temperature: 46°F (8°C), dew point 18°F (-8°C)
- Altimeter: 29.98 inHg
- Observation at 4:31 pm from KIWA
Weather report (METAR): SPECI KIWA 232331Z 24003KT 10SM BKN070 BKN085 08/M08 A2998 RMK ACFT MSHP
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 2 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
4 documents, released by the NTSB on May 9, 2024. 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, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Memorandum for Record A�� Pilot Receiving Instruction | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Photo Array | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 4 | Materials Laboratory Factual Report | PDF, 20 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Other NTSB records under N9534A the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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 WPR23LA096.