- Date
- September 15, 1999, 06:50 local (13:50 UTC)
- Place
- Daggett, CA
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N9497NCessna A185F
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report April 25, 2001
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19990915026289A
- Case key
- 53357
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 recognize an excessive rate of descent and his subsequent delayed flare, which resulted in a hard landing.
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
After takeoff the pilot climbed straight ahead to 200 feet agl with flaps set at 20 degrees. Reaching 200 feet, he retarded the throttle to produce a simulated engine failure. He then moved the yoke forward and established a downward descent angle. As the aircraft neared the runway, he recognized that a high sink rate was developing. Simultaneously, he flared and added full power in an effort to slow the descent. The airplane landed hard and collapsed the left main landing gear.
Factual narrative
On September 15, 1999, at 0650 hours Pacific daylight time, a Cessna A185F, N9497N, made a hard landing at the Daggett, California, airport. The aircraft sustained substantial damage; however, neither the commercial pilot nor his pilot-rated passenger was injured. The aircraft was being operated as a public-use flight by the California Highway Patrol (CHP) when the accident occurred. The flight was originating from the Barstow-Daggett Airport at the time of the accident. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time and a company flight plan was filed.
The pilot took off on runway 26 and climbed straight ahead to 200 feet agl with takeoff flaps set at 20 degrees. As the aircraft reached 200 feet, he retarded the throttle to produce a simulated engine failure. He moved the yoke forward and established a downward descent angle. As the aircraft neared the runway, he recognized that a high sink rate was developing. Simultaneously, he flared and added full power in an effort to slow the descent; however, in spite of his actions, the aircraft landed hard.
As the aircraft touched down, the left tire blew out and the left main gear collapsed. The 3-bladed propeller contacted the runway leaving 18 perpendicular scars in the runway surface. The aircraft came to a stop resting partially on the left wing tip. Upon inspection by CHP maintenance personnel, chordwise wrinkles were noted in the upper wing surface.
Barstow-Daggett winds at the time of the accident were reported as 270 degrees at 8 knots.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N9497N
- Reported as
- Cessna A185F
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 18504366
- Airframe hours
- 14,637
- Engine
- Continental IO-520-D56B, 285 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Public aircraft · Part 91
- Operator
- California Highway Patrol
- Registered owner
- State Of California
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · September 13, 1999 · 4 hours before
- Departed
- DAG
- Flight plan
- Company VFR
- Airport
- DAG · Barstow Daggett, runway 26, 6,400 × 150 ft, asphalt
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 36
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 2,300 total · 1,750 in this make and model · 2,200 as pilot in command · 45 in the last 90 days · 15 in the last 30 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 270° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 25 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 66 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- DAG
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.