- Date
- October 1, 1994, 17:00 local (22:00 UTC)
- Place
- Covington, TN
- Injuries
- 1 serious
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N731PSCessna 188
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 4, 1995
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19941001032459A
- Case key
- 3491
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.
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 overshot the centerline of the prepared runway and landed in the grass adjacent to the runway. During the landing roll the airplane groundlooped, breaking off the right main landing gear, and dragging the wing on the ground. He reported that the rudder had not responded to his attempts to correct the overshoot. An inspection of the rudder system showed that it was functional. The brake pad was not excessively worn, and the severed wheel brake line did not exhibit any pre-impact damage.
Factual narrative
On October 1, 1994, about 1700 central daylight time, a Cessna 188, N731PS, groundlooped during the landing roll at Covington, Tennessee. The airplane was operated by Baker Flying Service under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 137, and visual flight rules. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed. A flight plan was not filed for the aerial application flight. There were serious injuries to the commercial pilot, and the airplane was substantially damaged. Origination of the flight was Covington, Tennessee, about 1615.
The pilot reported that the airplane veered left during the landing and that the right rudder pedal and brake did not operate to oppose the divergent ground path. An inspector from the Tennessee Flight Standards District Office, Memphis, Tennessee, spoke with the pilot, and examined the accident site and the airplane, after the accident. He reported that the pilot said he was attempting to land on the runway, and overshot it. The airplane landed in the grass beside the runway. Tire tracks showed a normal landing roll, until about the last 700 feet where the tracks showed the airplane veered left, then entered a skid, breaking off the right main landing gear at the attachment point. The right wing then, struck the ground. According to the inspector, the rudder pedal, rudder cable, and rudder functioned. The brake pad did not exhibit excessive wear and the hydraulic line did not exhibit any pre-impact failure.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N731PS
- Reported as
- Cessna 188
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 18803053
- Airframe hours
- 4,551
- Engine
- Continental IO-520-D(26), 300 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application · Part 137
- Operator
- Baker Flying Service
- Registered owner
- Ben Baker
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal; Standard, Transport; Special, Restricted (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · March 17, 1994 · 242 hours before
- Departed
- M04
- Destination
- M04 · TN
- Airport
- M04 · Covington Municipal
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
- 47
- Certificates
- Student, Foreign, Commercial, Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine sea, Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Center
- Flight hours
- 3,696 total · 1,627 in this make and model · 200 in the last 90 days · 80 in the last 30 days · 9 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 86 °F, dew point 59 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- NQA, 19 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.