- Date
- May 29, 1994, 11:54 local (19:54 UTC)
- Place
- Fairbanks, AK
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Aircraft
- N93769Cessna 185F
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report April 25, 1995
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- FAA report
- 19940529012989A
- Case key
- 2503
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 takeoff.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The pilot described a ground loop that began at the start of his takeoff roll, continued out of control to the left, despite hard braking on the right, and ended with damage to the left wing and loss of the main gear.
Factual narrative
On May 29, 1994, at 1154 Alaska daylight time, a wheel equipped Cessna 185F, ground-looped on takeoff at Fairbanks International Airport, Alaska. The commercial pilot and his passenger were departing on a VFR flight plan in visual meteorological conditions to Bettles, Alaska when the accident occurred. Neither were injured, however the airplane was substantially damaged. The flight was conducted under 14 CFR Part 91 for personal reasons.
The pilot described a ground loop that began at the start of his takeoff roll, continued out of control to the left, despite hard braking on the right, and ended with substantial damage to the left wing and the loss of the main gear.
Fairbanks weather observation for the time of the accident included high broken clouds, a visibility of 100 statute miles and a wind of 290 degrees at 5 knots.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N93769
- Reported as
- Cessna 185F
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 185-03241
- Airframe hours
- 4,010
- Engine
- Continental IO-520-D, 300 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Thor Einarson
- Registered owner
- Jay Jespersen
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · April 1, 1994 · 60 hours before
- Destination
- BET · Bettles, AK
- Flight plan
- VFR
- Airport
- FAI · Fairbanks Intl, runway 1, 10,300 × 150 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
- 32
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Single-engine sea, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 2,900 total · 50 in this make and model · 2,400 as pilot in command · 100 in the last 90 days · 60 in the last 30 days · 5 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 290° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 100 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 10,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 57 °F, dew point 28 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- FAI
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 N93769 · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.