- Date
- June 25, 2003, 18:00 local (Jun 26, 2003, 01:00 UTC)
- Place
- Lexington, OR
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N6497ECessna 185F
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 2, 2004
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- FAA/FSDO
- FAA report
- 20030625014339A
- Case key
- 57352
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 aircraft control during the landing roll. A partially deflated tire and soft terrain were factors.
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
According to the pilot, after performing two or three touch-and-go landings, he departed the airport to practice aerial proficiency maneuvers. Upon his return, he made a wheel landing, and although the touchdown and the initial part of the landing roll were uneventful, just as he was starting to lower the tail the aircraft started pulling to the left. He therefore attempted to realign the aircraft with the runway by using right rudder and additional breaking on the right wheel but, according to the pilot, he overcorrected and inadvertently redirected the aircraft toward the right side of the runway. As he continued trying to get the aircraft aligned with the runway, it departed the right side of the landing surface. As the right main gear departed the runway, it encountered soft terrain, and the aircraft spun quickly around to the right. During this sequence of events, the left wing and horizontal stabilizer contacted the surface of the ground. The pilot later stated that he thought he may have had a partially deflated or flat tire on the left main landing gear.
Factual narrative
On June 25, 2003, approximately 1800 Pacific daylight time, a Cessna 185F, N6497E, impacted the terrain during the landing roll at Lexington Airport, Lexington, Oregon. The commercial pilot, who was the sole occupant, was not injured, but the aircraft, which is owned and operated by the pilot, sustained substantial damage. The 14 CFR Part 91 personal proficiency flight, which departed the same airport about 40 minutes earlier, was being operated in visual meteorological conditions. No flight plan had been filed. There was no report of an ELT activation.
According to the pilot, after performing two or three touch-and-go landings, he departed the airport to practice aerial proficiency maneuvers. Upon his return, he made a wheel landing on runway 26, and although the touchdown and the initial part of the landing roll were uneventful, just as he was starting to lower the tail, the aircraft started pulling to the left. He therefore attempted to realign the aircraft with the runway by using right rudder and additional breaking on the right wheel but, according to the pilot, he overcorrected and inadvertently redirected the aircraft toward the right side of the runway. As he continued trying to get the aircraft aligned with the runway, it departed the right side of the landing surface. As the right main gear departed the runway, it encountered soft terrain, and the aircraft spun quickly around to the right. During this sequence of events, the left wing and horizontal stabilizer contacted the surface of the ground.
The pilot later stated that he thought he may have had a partially deflated or flat tire on the left main landing gear.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N6497E
- Reported as
- Cessna 185F
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 18504050
- Airframe hours
- 4,292
- Engine
- Continental IO-520-D30, 300 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Guy E. Vanarsdale
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · May 5, 2003 · 20 hours before
- Departed
- 9S9 · Lexington, OR
- Destination
- 9S9
- Airport
- 9S9 · Lexington, runway 26, 4,150 × 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
- 64
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Last flight review
- April 18, 2003
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 6,033 total · 600 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 88 °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 N6497E · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.