- Date
- July 29, 1985, 10:30 local (15:30 UTC)
- Place
- Ames, IA
- Injuries
- 4 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N3161CCessna 180
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19850729034649A
- Case key
- 34002
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
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 desired rwy (19) was closed at the destination, so the plt landed on rwy 13 with a 15 kt x-wind. The x-wind was within the capability of the acft & the plt. After touchdown, the plt used full rudder & brake to maintain directional control. However, he reported that the acft encountered a gust & subsequently swerved to the right. After departing the rwy, the left wing & horizontal stabilizer contacted the ground & were damaged. An exam revealed the tailwheel latch spring, scott pn 3222, had failed. With this problem, the tailwheel would steer the acft to the right, but there was no steering capability to the left.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N3161C
- Reported as
- Cessna 180
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 30960
- Airframe hours
- 3,500
- Engine
- Continental O-470-K, 230 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Richard A. George
- Registered owner
- James L. Finzer
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- LL10 · Naperville, IL
- Airport
- AMW · Ames Muni, runway 13, 3,500 × 100 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
- 50
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 12,256 total · 104 in this make and model · 4,333 as pilot in command · 165 in the last 90 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 220° at 15 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.