- Date
- May 16, 2023, 14:50 local (20:50 UTC)
- Place
- Grand Junction, CO
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N4742ECessna A185f
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: 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
- Parties
- FAA-FSDO
- FAA report
- 20230516007209A
- Case key
- 174545
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 the landing roll with gusting wind.
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 reported that, while performing a 3-point landing, a wind gust from the right caused the airplane to “balloon” and bounce during the initial touchdown. During the attempted bounce recovery, the tundra tires firmly grabbed the grooved runway resulting in a ground loop. During the ground loop, the left wing struck the ground which resulted in substantial damage to the wing. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident malfunctions or failures with the airplane which would have precluded normal operation. At the time of the accident, the pilot was landing the airplane on runway 29 with wind from 330° at 7 knots gusting to 17 knots. The pilot stated that he was unfamiliar flying this airplane with large tundra tires.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N4742E
- Reported as
- Cessna A185f
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 18503853
- Built
- 1979
- Airframe hours
- 4,104.5
- Engine
- Continental IO-550D, 300 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · June 4, 2022
- Departed
- KSDL · Scottsdale, AZ
- Destination
- KGJT · Grand Junction, CO
- Airport
- GJT · Grand Junction Regional Airport, runway 29, 10,503 × 150 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- Auto-pilot, Angle of attack indicator, ADS-B, Stall warning system, Satellite tracking device, Onboard weather, Electronic primary flight display, Electronic multifunction display
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
- 74
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Single-engine sea, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- October 14, 2022
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- None
- Flight hours
- 9,065 total · 900 in this make and model · 8,865 as pilot in command · 110 in the last 90 days · 20 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 330° at 7 knots, gusting 17
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 81 °F, dew point 37 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.16 inHg
- Observed at
- KGJT, 1 nm away
- METAR
- METAR KGJT 162053Z 33007G17KT 10SM CLR 27/03 A3016 RMK AO2 SLP153
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on July 7, 2023, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 2.5 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 N4742E · 4
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.