Primary finding
Probable cause
The failure of the pilot to maintain directional control. A factor related to the accident was the gusty crosswind.
Investigator assessment
Analysis narrative
The pilot was practicing crosswind landings on runway 12. The wind was reported to be out of the southwest at 15 knots gusting to 20 knots. The pilot lost control during landing roll. When the pilot regained control the airplane was on the grass and paralleling the runway. The airplane struck a snowdrift and nosed-over.
Source record
Factual narrative
On February 19, 1994, at 1130 central standard time, a Cessna 170B, N4685C, sustained substantial damage when the airplane departed the runway during landing rollout and struck a snowbank at the Waupaca Municipal Airport, Waupaca, Wisconsin. Neither the private pilot nor his sole passenger were injured. No flight plan was filed for the personal flight, and visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time. The pilot reported he was practicing crosswind landings on runway 12. He stated the wind was from the southwest at 15 knots gusting to 20 knots. He said that a gust of wind forced him into a ground loop situation, and that by the time he had corrected the condition he was on the grass parallel to the runway. The airplane struck a snowdrift and nosed-over. -