# NTSB LAX00LA198: Cessna 185, N9955X, Borrego Springs, CA, May 18, 2000 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · No injuries · Limited investigation · Final report - Date: May 18, 2000, 14:00 local (21:00 UTC) - Place: Borrego Springs, CA - Coordinates: 33.169116, -116.27069 (estimated) - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=33.1691&lon=-116.2707&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Landing](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/550) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: No injuries - Injuries: 2 uninjured - Status: Completed, report July 17, 2001 - Report: Approved by Office Director - NTSB case key (mKey): 49226 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=LAX00LA198 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/49226/pdf - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/LAX00LA198 ## Probable cause The pilot's inadequate compensation for the crosswind condition and his subsequent failure to maintain directional control during landing. ## Sequence of events In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - Loss of control - on ground/water, landing - roll - weather condition - crosswind - weather condition - gusts - compensation for wind conditions - inadequate, pilot in command (cause) - directional control - not maintained, pilot in command (cause) - ground loop/swerve - inadvertent, pilot in command - On ground/water encounter with terrain/water, landing - roll ## Analysis According to the airport manager, the wind was reported to be from the southwest at 8 to 10 knots, with higher gusts. The pilot stated that on the landing rollout he encountered a gusting, quartering tailwind, which lifted the left wing and caused the airplane to veer to the right side of the runway. The airplane then ground looped into the soft sand beside the runway. The pilot said there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures of the airplane. ## Factual narrative On May 18, 2000, at 1400 hours Pacific daylight time, a Cessna 185, N9955X, ground looped while landing on runway 25 at the Borrego Valley Airport, Borrego Springs, California. During the ground loop, the right main landing gear collapsed and the right wing was bent. The airplane, owned and operated by the pilot under 14 CFR Part 91, sustained substantial damage. The commercial pilot and passenger were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions existed for the personal flight and a flight plan was not filed. The flight originated from the Ramona, California, airport at 1315 as a cross-country flight to Borrego Springs. According to the airport manager, the wind was reported to be from the southwest at 8 to 10 knots, with higher gusts. The pilot stated that on the landing rollout he encountered a gusting, quartering tailwind, which lifted the left wing and caused the airplane to veer to the right side of the runway. The airplane then ground looped into the soft sand beside the runway. The pilot said there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures of the airplane. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N9955X](https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N9955X), registered now, S/N 185-0155, built 1961 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: Cessna 185 - Registry model: [Cessna 185](https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-185) (registry code 2072802) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Continental I0-470 series](https://openairdocs.org/engine/continental-i0-470-series) (registry code 17027, reciprocating) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 185-0155 - Airframe hours: 2311 - Engines: Continental IO-470F 260 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Registered owner: Charles L. Toner - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal - Last inspection: Annual, October 22, 1999, 9 hours before - Departed: RNM, RAMONA, CA - Destination: L08 - Airport: L08, Borrego Valley, runway 25, 5,000 × 75 ft, asphalt ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 77; commercial; airplane ratings: single-engine land; instrument ratings: airplane; medical: class 3, valid medical--w/ waivers/lim; seat: left; flight hours: 1,038 total, 867 in this make and model, 873 as pilot in command, 5 in the last 90 days, 3 in the last 30 days ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: variable at 3 knots - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: none - Temperature: 93 °F, dew point 36 °F - Altimeter: 29.00 inHg - Observed at: PSP, 35 nm away ## FAA reports on this event (1) The FAA's own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date (OpenAirDocs). - [Accident 20000518005169A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20000518005169A), May 18, 2000: Cessna 185, Borrego Springs, CA, Substantial damage. (-23) On may 18, 2000, at approximately 2:00 p.m. PDT,[privacy data omitted]landed his airplane, a Cessna 185 (tail wheel model), at the borredgo valley… ## Other investigations on N9955X (2) From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. - [NTSB LAX70DUM05](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/LAX70DUM05), Feb 20, 1970: Cessna 185 (N9955X), San Diego, CA, substantial damage - [NTSB DEN67D0188](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/DEN67D0188), Dec 17, 1966: Cessna 185 (N9955X), Watkins, CO, substantial damage From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.