On 13 May 2015, a CESSNA 170B operated by Summit Aviation was involved in an aviation accident near Bentonville, AR. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The flight instructor's failure to maintain directional control, which resulted in a ground loop on takeoff. This summary draws on records from NTSB; 12 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.
During a crosswind instructional flight, the aircraft's nose rotated into the wind after takeoff. The instructor attempted recovery but the airplane touched down and ground looped, damaging the right wing.
Incident Overview
An instructional flight ended with a ground loop after the aircraft became airborne during a crosswind takeoff. The pilot receiving instruction initiated the takeoff roll. Once the airplane lifted off, the nose immediately rotated into the wind. The flight instructor, who was supervising the maneuver, took control of the aircraft. He attempted to maintain directional control by applying right rudder, but the airplane touched down on the runway and subsequently ground looped. During the ground loop, the right wing impacted the runway, resulting in substantial damage.
Aircraft and Environmental Conditions
The flight instructor reported no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The reported wind conditions at the time of the accident were from 110 degrees true at 12 knots. The runway heading was 180 degrees magnetic.
Contributing factors
Causes
Instructor/check pilotDirectional control — Not attained/maintained