- Date
- July 11, 2015, 15:30 local (20:30 UTC)
- Place
- Dauphin Island, AL
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N185DKCessna A185F
- Defining event
- Landing-landing roll: Loss of control on ground
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 30, 2015
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- General Aviation Accidents
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration
- FAA report
- 20150711012939A
- Case key
- 91710
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 directional control during the landing roll in gusty wind conditions which resulted in a ground loop and impact with terrain.
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 of the tailwheel equipped airplane reported that during the landing roll, he encountered a gust of wind from the right. The tail of the airplane moved to the left, the left wing impacted the ground and the airplane ground looped. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing. The wind reported from a nearby weather station were 180 degrees at 11 knots with gusts to 14 knots about the time of the accident. The pilot reported he was landing runway 12. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation.
Factual narrative
The pilot of the tailwheel equipped airplane reported that during the landing roll, he encountered a gust of wind from the right. The tail of the airplane moved to the left, the left wing impacted the ground and the airplane ground looped. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing. Winds reported from a nearby weather station were 180 degrees at 11 knots with gusts to 14 knots about the time of the accident. The pilot reported he was landing runway 12. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N185DK
- Reported as
- Cessna A185F
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 18503808
- Built
- 1979
- Airframe hours
- 6,947
- Engine
- Continental IO-550-D, 300 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · May 30, 2015
- Departed
- 2R5 · St Elmo, AL
- Destination
- 4R9 · Dauphin Island, AL
- Airport
- 4R9 · Dauphin Island, runway 12, 3,000 × 80 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- Stall warning system, Auto-pilot, Handheld GPS, Onboard weather
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
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- March 15, 2015
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 1,000 total · 700 in this make and model · 960 as pilot in command · 8 in the last 90 days · 6 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 180° at 11 knots, gusting 14
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Temperature
- 91 °F, dew point 72 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.12 inHg
- Observed at
- KJKA, 24 nm away
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on September 11, 2015, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 10.2 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 N185DK · 2
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.