- Date
- January 5, 1990, 16:25 local (Jan 6, 1990, 00:25 UTC)
- Place
- Agua Dulce, CA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Aircraft
- N9816XCessna 185
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 2, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19900105000229A
- Case key
- 26715
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
Pilot's improper weather evaluation which directly led to his attempted takeoff in an excessive tailwind and subsequent loss of aircraft control during the unsuccessful abort.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The pilot attempted to takeoff in a tailwind condition. The pilot did not obtain a weather briefing for the local flt. The pilot took off downwind, aborted the takeoff, lost control of the aircraft and it flipped over. The aircraft caught fire and was destroyed. It was not determined if the pilot secured the aircraft engine prior to his departure from the aircraft.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N9816X
- Reported as
- Cessna 185
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 1850016
- Engine
- Continental IO-520-D, 300 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Brolin, James
- Departed
- L70
- Destination
- L70
- Airport
- L70 · Agua Duce, runway 4, 4,525 × 60 ft, asphalt
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
- 49
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Unknown, Unknown
- Flight hours
- 200 total
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 220° at 40 knots
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- -0 °F, dew point -0 °F
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 N9816X · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.