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Rudder pedal snags pilot’s foot

By NTSB · March 2, 2015 ·

The pilot of the Cessna 170 reported that after a normal landing at the airport in Livermore, Calif., the tailwheel-equipped airplane began to drift right. He applied control inputs to counteract the drift, then the airplane started to veer to the left.

He applied right rudder to stop that movement, however his foot became entangled in the rudder pedal, and the airplane ground looped.

Subsequently, the right main landing gear collapsed, which resulted in substantial damage to the fuselage.

The NTSB determined the probable cause as the pilot’s failure to maintain directional control during the landing roll.

NTSB Identification: WPR13CA168

This March 2013 accident report is provided by the National Transportation Safety Board. Published as an educational tool, it is intended to help pilots learn from the misfortunes of others.

About NTSB

The National Transportation Safety Board is an independent federal agency charged by Congress with investigating every civil aviation accident in the United States and significant events in the other modes of transportation, including railroad, transit, highway, marine, pipeline, and commercial space. It determines the probable causes of accidents and issues safety recommendations aimed at preventing future occurrences.

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Comments

  1. Lee Beery says

    March 3, 2015 at 7:32 am

    I can feel for this pilot because the same thing happened to me while flying my Baby Great lakes at Lampson Field (1o2) not too long ago. There was not too much damage to the plane, tore a hole in the fuselage hitting a runway light, but sure hurt my ego. What happened was my right foot was pressing on the rudder peddle and at the same time on fuselage frame vertical tube.

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