- Date
- July 13, 2020, 18:15 local (Jul 14, 2020, 02:15 UTC)
- Place
- Palmer, AK
- Injuries
- 4 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N360DCCessna A185
- Defining event
- Landing: Loss of control on ground
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20200713010679A
- Case key
- 101633
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 control during landing, which resulted in a ground loop and left main landing gear collapse.
Findings · 3
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 reported that, after touchdown on an unimproved airstrip with a "fairly strong" crosswind, the airplane veered left. He attempted to correct the veer and applied right rudder and brake; however, the airplane exited the site, and the left main tire encountered a hole. Subsequently, the airplane "yawed to the right", ground looped, and came to rest upright. During the ground loop the left main landing gear collapsed, and the left wing struck the ground. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N360DC
- Reported as
- Cessna A185 (F)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 185-02173
- Built
- 1973
- Airframe hours
- 2,658
- Engine
- Continental IO-520D24B, 300 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · April 2, 2020
- Departed
- MRI · Anchorage, AK
- Destination
- Palmer, AK
- Equipment
- Stall warning system, ADS-B, Electronic flight bag or handheld device, Handheld GPS
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
- 67
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Commercial, Airline transport, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Waiver time limited special
- Last flight review
- March 22, 2020
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 22,145 total · 120 in this make and model · 8,050 as pilot in command · 287 in the last 90 days · 95 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 140° at 7 knots, gusting 15
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 10,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 66 °F, dew point 43 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.87 inHg
- Observed at
- PAAQ, 25 nm away
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on August 20, 2021, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 591 KB 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.