- Date
- May 17, 2011, 13:57 local (21:57 UTC)
- Place
- Talkeetna, AK
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N125KTCessna A185F
- Defining event
- Landing-landing roll: Loss of control on ground
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report August 22, 2011
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20110517009899A
- Case key
- 79131
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to maintain directional control during landing.
Findings · 2
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The commercial pilot was practicing stop-and-go takeoffs and landings in a tailwheel-equipped airplane with the commercial air taxi operator's chief pilot aboard. She said during the first landing, as the tailwheel touched the runway, the airplane veered sharply to the right. The airplane exited the runway to the right against the application of full left rudder. As the airplane departed the runway surface, the commercial pilot relinquished control to the company chief pilot in the right seat. During the runway excursion, the right wing came up, and the left wing struck the ground, substantially damaging the left wing. An examination of the tailwheel assembly revealed no anomalies.
Factual narrative
The commercial pilot was practicing stop and go landings in a tailwheel-equipped airplane with the commercial air taxi operator's chief pilot aboard. She said during the first landing, as the tailwheel touched the runway, the airplane veered sharply to the right. She applied left rudder, but the airplane exited the runway to the right. As the airplane left the runway, she relinquished control to the company chief pilot in the right seat. During the runway excursion, the right wing came up, and the left wing struck the ground, structurally damaging the left wing. An examination of the tailwheel assembly found no anomalies.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N125KT
- Reported as
- Cessna A185F
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 18503494
- Airframe hours
- 12,409
- Engine
- Cont Motor IO 520 SERIES, 285 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Other work use · Part 91
- Operator
- Rust Air Inc, doing business as K2 Aviation
- Registered owner
- Rust Air Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · May 14, 2011
- Departed
- PATK · Talkeetna, AK
- Destination
- PATK · Talkeetna, AK
- Airport
- PATK · Talkeetna, runway 18, 3,500 × 75 ft, asphalt
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 30
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine sea, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- May 13, 2011
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 4,216 total · 22 in this make and model · 1,781 as pilot in command · 44 in the last 90 days · 11 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 290° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 57 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.70 inHg
- Observed at
- PATK
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on June 24, 2011, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 1.2 MB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.
Other investigations on N125KT · 2
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.