- Date
- July 15, 2020, 16:40 local (20:40 UTC)
- Place
- Rochester, IN
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N2231TCessna A185
- Defining event
- Landing-landing roll: 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
- Central Region
- FAA report
- 20200715012509A
- Case key
- 101609
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 resulting in a ground loop.
Findings · 1
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 private pilot, with a passenger onboard, stated they were landing on runway 11 and had completed a "3-point landing." On rollout, the airplane began to veer to the right. The pilot applied full left rudder and full left brake, but he was unable to stop the right turn. The airplane ground looped and came to rest in the grass on the right side of the runway. The airplane's left wing was substantially damaged when it struck the ground. The pilot indicated that there were no airplane mechanical malfunctions during the flight.
Factual narrative
The private pilot, with a passenger onboard, stated they were landing runway 11 and had completed a "3-point landing." On rollout, the airplane began to veer to the right. The pilot applied full left rudder and full left brake, but he was unable to stop the right turn. The airplane ground looped and came to rest in the grass on the right side of the runway. The airplane's left wing was substantially damaged when it struck the ground. The pilot indicated that there were no airplane mechanical malfunctions during the flight.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N2231T
- Reported as
- Cessna A185 (E)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 185-1383
- Built
- 1968
- Airframe hours
- 5,539
- Engine
- Continental IO520D, 300 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · July 13, 2020
- Departed
- N27 · Towanda, PA
- Destination
- RCR · Rochester, IN
- Airport
- RCR · Fulton County, runway 11, 5,001 × 75 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- ADS-B, Stall warning system
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
- 60
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Single-engine sea
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- BasicMed
- Last flight review
- November 6, 2019
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 2,112 total · 1,144 in this make and model · 2,017 as pilot in command · 17 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 10° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 6 statute miles
- Temperature
- 81 °F
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on October 17, 2020, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 6.7 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 N2231T · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.