- Date
- November 9, 2018, 10:02 local (18:02 UTC)
- Place
- Reardan, WA
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N185PRCessna A185
- Defining event
- Landing: Loss of control on ground
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 10, 2019
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- General Aviation Accidents
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20181109021629A
- Case key
- 98623
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 receiving instruction's improper approach and landing flare in crosswind conditions, which resulted in a bounced landing and subsequent loss of directional control. Contributing to the accident was the flight instructor’s delayed remedial action.
Findings · 5
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 flight instructor was evaluating a pilot receiving instruction in a tailwheel-equipped, high-performance airplane for a visual flight rules cross-country flight. He added that they considered the runway to be "a one-way strip." When they arrived at the private airstrip, the GPS indicated a 5-knot crosswind from the southeast. During the approach, the airplane was about "50 ft high" when it crossed their predetermined go-around point; they continued the landing. During the touchdown, the airplane bounced twice, and the pilot then initiated a go-around. The instructor then "reminded" the pilot that they were committed to the landing and instructed him not to go-around, so the pilot transitioned the airplane back to landing. During the subsequent touchdown, the airplane "quickly" veered right. The pilot attempted to correct the veer, but the airplane exited the right side of the airstrip onto soft ground, and it then nosed down and came to rest on the spinner and left wing. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing. The instructor reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot indicated that the wind at the airport was from about 140° at 5 knots. The pilot landed the airplane on runway 5. The flight instructor recommended that he should have taken the controls sooner in the abnormal situation.
Factual narrative
The flight instructor was evaluating a pilot receiving instruction in a tailwheel-equipped, high performance airplane for a visual flight rules (VFR) cross country. He added that they considered the runway to be "a one-way strip". When they arrived at the private airstrip, the GPS indicated a 5 knot crosswind from the southeast. During the approach, they were about "50 ft high" when they crossed their predetermined go around point. During the touch down, the airplane bounced twice, and the pilot initiated a go around. The instructor then "reminded" the pilot that they were committed to the landing and instructed him not to go around, so the pilot transitioned the airplane back to landing. During the subsequent touchdown, the airplane "quickly" veered right. The pilot attempted to correct the veer, but the airplane exited the right side of the airstrip, encountered soft ground, and nosed down coming to rest on the spinner and left wing. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing. The flight instructor reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot indicated that the wind at the airport was about 140° at 5 knots. The pilot was landing on runway 5. The flight instructor recommended that he should have taken the controls sooner in the abnormal situation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N185PR
- Reported as
- Cessna A185 (F)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 18502889
- Built
- 1976
- Airframe hours
- 8,381.6
- Engine
- Continental IO-520-D, 300 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- The Moody Bible Institute of Chicago, doing business as Moody Aviation
- Registered owner
- Proclaim Aviation Ministries
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · September 5, 2018
- Departed
- SFF · Spokane, WA
- Destination
- WA08 · Reardan, WA
- Flight plan
- VFR
- Airport
- WA08 · Zwainz Farms, runway 05, 2,600 × 45 ft, grass/turf
- Equipment
- Stall warning system, Electronic flight bag or handheld device, Satellite tracking device
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 · 2
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Flight instructor
- Age
- 57
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial, Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- January 25, 2018
- Seat
- Right
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 7,299 total · 838 in this make and model · 6,511 as pilot in command · 120 in the last 90 days · 17 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 29
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- June 11, 2018
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 362 total · 26 in this make and model · 238 as pilot in command · 7 in the last 90 days · 7 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 150° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 32 °F, dew point 28 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.21 inHg
- Observed at
- KSKA, 12 nm away
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on March 18, 2019, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 3.2 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.