On August 21, 2003, a Cessna 170 (registration CFGRD) was involved in an aviation accident near Neche, ND. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The unsuitable terrain encountered during the precautionary landing. Contributing factors to the accident include the pilot becoming lost/disoriented, his decision to perform a precautionary landing, and the soft terrain encountered during landing. This summary draws on records from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) historical archive.
A pilot conducted a precautionary landing in a soft agricultural field after losing sight of the destination airport. The airplane nosed over during the landing roll.
Incident Overview
A pilot executed a precautionary landing in a soft agricultural field, which resulted in the airplane nosing over and sustaining damage. The pilot reported that the aircraft had drifted south of the planned route and that he was unable to locate the intended destination airport. He subsequently decided to land in an agricultural field as a precautionary measure.
Landing Sequence
During the landing roll, the airplane encountered soft terrain. The pilot stated that the soft ground conditions caused the aircraft to nosed over. The extent of the damage to the airplane was not specified in the report.
Pilot Actions
The pilot's decision to land in the field was based on his inability to find the destination airport after the unplanned deviation from the route. The report does not indicate any other factors or communications with air traffic control during the event.