Cessna 170B N3143A

Summary

On 8 May 2001 at about 03:56 local time, a Cessna 170B registered N3143A was involved in an accident near Fairbanks, Alaska, United States. 2 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

8 May 2001 at 03:56

Classification

Accident

Location

Fairbanks, Alaska, United States

Nearest airport

Fairbanks International (PAFA)

Coordinates

64.8136, -147.8597

Aircraft

Cessna 170B

Registration

N3143A

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Fairbanks → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ANC01LA055

Nobody was injured.

A failure of the tailwheel spring assembly due to fatigue during touch and go landings. A factor in the accident was an inadequate annual inspection by maintenance personnel.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The commercial certificated pilot/flight instructor was conducting a local area instructional flight with the student pilot/owner of the airplane. The flight instructor reported that he was doing wheel landings with the student to a gravel runway. During the touch down on the third or fourth landing, the tailwheel assembly suddenly broke off. An FAA airworthiness inspector examined the airplane after the accident and found a preexisting crack in the tailwheel spring assembly that was about 1/16 inch deep, and about 1/2 inch long. The spring failed at the crack. When the tail wheel departed the airplane, it struck the bottom of the rudder, and the rudder trim tab. The bottom and aft portion of the rudder assembly was torn open. The spring assembly had accrued 126 hours, and 65 hours since the last annual inspection.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.