On April 6, 2006, a Cessna 170A (registration N5561C) was involved in an aviation accident near Hanford, CA. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: the pilot's failure to maintain directional control. This summary draws on records from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) historical archive.
During a wheel landing with no flaps, the airplane ground looped, veered left, swerved right after tail wheel contact, then departed the runway into a plowed field and nosed over when the landing gear hit soft mud.
Accident Overview
The airplane experienced a ground loop while on the landing roll. The pilot had recently purchased the airplane and had logged 11 hours of experience in tail wheel equipped aircraft. The landing was attempted as a wheel landing with no flaps deployed.
Sequence of Events
Upon touchdown, the airplane veered to the left of the runway centerline. The pilot then lowered the tail wheel. As the tail wheel contacted the runway surface, the airplane swerved to the right. To correct the veering, the pilot applied full left rudder input and brake pressure. At this point, the airplane was diverging approximately 30 degrees from the runway centerline. The pilot decided to abort the landing and initiated a go-around by applying full power. However, the airplane departed the right side of the runway and entered the soft mud of a recently plowed field. The landing gear encountered the soft mud, causing the airplane to nose over.
Aircraft and Pilot Information
The pilot had limited experience in tail wheel aircraft, with 11 hours in such airplanes. The airplane itself had just been purchased by the pilot. No further details about the aircraft or pilot were provided in the source.