- Date
- December 14, 2018, 09:00 local (17:00 UTC)
- Place
- Tacoma, WA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N19ECCessna A185
- Defining event
- Landing-landing roll: Loss of control on ground
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report August 27, 2020
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- General Aviation Accidents
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20181214023549A
- Case key
- 98782
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 and his subsequent overapplication of left rudder, which resulted in the right wing impacting the runway.
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 pilot reported that, during the landing roll, the airplane veered right. He applied left rudder, and the airplane straightened out, but it then began to veer right again. He stated that he then overcorrected with excessive left rudder control and that the right wingtip impacted the runway. The right-wing trailing edge spar was substantially damaged. The pilot reported that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Factual narrative
The pilot of the tail-wheel equipped airplane reported that during the landing roll, the airplane veered to the right. The pilot applied left rudder control, and the airplane straightened out, but then began to veer right again. He stated that he then overcorrected with excessive left rudder control and the right wingtip impacted the ground. The right-wing trailing edge spar was substantially damaged. The pilot reported that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N19EC
- Reported as
- Cessna A185 (E)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 185-1306
- Built
- 1967
- Engine
- Continental IO-520-D, 300 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Blue Skies Aviation LLC
- Registered owner
- Blue Skies Aviation LLC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- TIW · Tacoma, WA
- Destination
- TIW · Tacoma, WA
- Airport
- TIW · Tacoma Narrows, runway 17, 5,002 × 100 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- Angle of attack indicator, 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
- 68
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Left
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 12,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 43 °F, dew point 39 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.60 inHg
- Observed at
- KTIW
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on July 23, 2020, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 514 KB 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 N19EC · 2
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.