- Date
- April 1, 2015, 14:15 local (17:15 UTC)
- Place
- Palmer, AK
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N3885QCessna A185F
- Defining event
- Landing: Loss of control on ground
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 13, 2015
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- FAA report
- 20150401006999A
- Case key
- 90992
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 loss of directional control during landing, resulting in a collision with terrain.
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 pilot was landing to the south on a gravel runway in his tailwheel-equipped Cessna 185 airplane. During the landing rollout, a wind gust from the east was encountered and the pilot was unable to maintain directional control. The airplane entered a ground loop, sustaining substantial damage to the right wing. The pilot stated there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or anomalies with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Factual narrative
The pilot was landing to the south on a gravel runway in his tailwheel-equipped Cessna 185 airplane. During the landing rollout, a wind gust from the east was encountered and the pilot was unable to maintain directional control. The airplane entered a ground loop, sustaining substantial damage to the right wing. The pilot stated there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or anomalies with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N3885Q
- Reported as
- Cessna A185F (F)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 18502207
- Built
- 1973
- Airframe hours
- 1,020.3
- Engine
- Continental Motors IO-520D, 300 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Cruz David C
- Registered owner
- Cruz David C
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · October 16, 2014
- Departed
- SKW · Skwentna, AK
- Destination
- PAQ · Palmer, AK
- Flight plan
- VFR
- Airport
- PAQ · Palmer Muni, runway 16S, 1,560 × 60 ft, gravel
- Equipment
- Satellite tracking device, Onboard weather, ADS-B
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
- 56
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- February 11, 2015
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 111 total · 111 in this make and model · 49 as pilot in command · 28 in the last 90 days · 9 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 130° at 18 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 10,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 39 °F, dew point 28 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.79 inHg
- Turbulence
- Unknown
- Observed at
- PAAQ
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.