- Date
- August 16, 1998, 17:30 local (Aug 17, 1998, 00:30 UTC)
- Place
- Susanville, CA
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Aircraft
- N8482DCessna 185
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 30, 2000
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19980816021129A
- Case key
- 43731
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 failure to maintain directional control. A factor was the gusty wind conditions.
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 reported that about 300 feet into the takeoff roll on runway 29 and approximately 30 mph, he felt a strong wind gust from his left side and was unable to maintain the aircraft heading with full right rudder and right brake. The aircraft ground looped and came to rest on the runway about 120 degrees from its initial heading. The right main landing gear collapsed, and there was damage to the right wing, right stabilizer, and elevator. The winds were reported as 240 degrees at 12 knots gusting to 21 knots. A witness on the airport said that the winds were 'unpredictably gusty' at the time of the accident. The pilot reported no mechanical malfunction with the aircraft prior to takeoff, but stated that he 'could have made a more accurate estimate of [the] severity of gusts and not attempted the takeoff.'
Factual narrative
On August 16, 1998, at 1730 hours Pacific daylight time, a Cessna 185, N8482D, ground looped during takeoff on runway 29 at the Susanville, California, airport. The aircraft sustained substantial damage. The commercial pilot and passenger, the sole occupants, were not injured. The local area personal flight was originating at the time of the accident and no flight plan was filed. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed.
The pilot reported that about 300 feet down the runway and approximately 30 mph, he felt a strong wind gust from the left side and was unable to maintain the aircraft heading with full right rudder and right brake. The aircraft ground looped and came to rest on the runway 120 degrees from its initial heading. The right main landing gear collapsed, and there was damage to the right wing, right stabilizer, and elevator.
The winds were reported as 240 degrees at 12 knots with gusts to 21 knots. A witness on the airport said that the winds were "unpredictably gusty" at the time of the accident. The pilot reported that he had not experienced any mechanical malfunction with the aircraft prior to takeoff, but stated that he "could have made a more accurate estimate of [the] severity of gusts and not attempted the takeoff."
Aircraft
- Registration
- N8482D
- Reported as
- Cessna 185
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 185-1370
- Airframe hours
- 2,359
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-520-D, 300 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Fred Peters
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · March 4, 1998 · 20 hours before
- Departed
- SVE · CA
- Destination
- 203 · Angwin, CA
- Airport
- SVE · Susanville Municipal, runway 29, 4,050 × 75 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
- 65
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 3,200 total · 450 in this make and model · 3,100 as pilot in command · 25 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 240° at 12 knots, gusting 21
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 88 °F, dew point 39 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- RNO
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.