# NTSB SEA04LA135: Cessna A185F, N78RD, Boise, ID, July 16, 2004 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · No injuries · Limited investigation · Final report - Date: July 16, 2004, 15:03 local (21:03 UTC) - Place: Boise, ID - Coordinates: 43.564445, -116.222778 - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=43.5644&lon=-116.2228&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Landing](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/550) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: No injuries - Injuries: 2 uninjured - Status: Completed, report December 3, 2004 - Report: Approved by Office Director - Parties: FAA FSDO - NTSB case key (mKey): 59690 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=SEA04LA135 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/59690/pdf - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/SEA04LA135 ## Probable cause The pilot's failure to maintain directional control during the landing roll resulting in an inadvertent ground loop. ## Sequence of events In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - Loss of control - on ground/water, landing - roll - directional control - not maintained, pilot in command (cause) - ground loop/swerve - encountered, pilot in command - On ground/water encounter with terrain/water, landing - roll ## Analysis The pilot reported that she performed a wheel landing on runway 28L. As the tail settled, the airplane swerved slightly to the right, and she corrected with left rudder. However, the rudder was ineffective due to the slow speed of the airplane, and the airplane continued to swerve right. The pilot stated that at this point the left main tire peeled off the wheel rim, the wheel rim dug into the pavement, and the airplane spun around 180 degrees and came to a stop just off the right side of the runway. The pilot stated that there were no mechanical anomalies with the airplane prior to the accident. The Director of Maintenance of the facility contracted to repair the airplane provided to the NTSB IIC a list of damaged parts that indicated the fuselage sustained structural damage in the area of the left main landing gear attach point. ## Factual narrative On July 16, 2004, approximately 1503 mountain daylight time, a Cessna A185F, N78RD, sustained substantial damage when it ground looped following a loss of control during the landing roll at Boise Air Terminal, Boise, Idaho. The airline transport pilot and the passenger were not injured. The airplane was registered to and operated by the pilot. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the personal cross country flight conducted under Title 14 CFR Part 91, and no flight plan was filed. The flight departed McCall, Idaho, about 1430. During a telephone interview conducted by the NTSB investigator-in-charge (IIC) on August 18, 2004, the pilot reported that she performed a wheel landing on runway 28L. As the tail settled, the airplane swerved slightly to the right, and she corrected with left rudder. However, the rudder was ineffective due to the slow speed of the airplane, and the airplane continued to swerve right. The pilot stated that at this point the left main tire peeled off the wheel rim, the wheel rim dug into the pavement, and the airplane spun around 180 degrees and came to a stop just off the right side of the runway. The pilot stated that there were no mechanical anomalies with the airplane prior to the accident. The Director of Maintenance of the facility contracted to repair the airplane provided to the NTSB IIC a list of damaged parts that indicated the fuselage sustained structural damage in the area of the left main landing gear attach point. ## Aircraft - Registration: N78RD (not matched to a registry record) - Reported make and model: Cessna A185F - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 18503676 - Airframe hours: 3500 - Engines: Continental IO-520 300 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Registered owner: Lori A. Jorgensen - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal - Last inspection: Annual, April 10, 2004, 30 hours before - Departed: MYL, McCall, ID - Destination: BOI, Boise, ID - Airport: BOI, Boise Air Terminal, runway 28L, 9,763 × 150 ft, asphalt ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 47; injuries: none; flight engineer, airline transport, military; airplane ratings: single-engine land, multi-engine land; instrument ratings: airplane; medical: class 1, valid medical--no waivers/lim.; last flight review October 31, 2003; seat: left; flight hours: 12,400 total, 43 in this make and model, 6,000 as pilot in command, 214 in the last 90 days, 70 in the last 30 days, 3 in the last 24 hours ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: 330° at 6 knots - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: none - Temperature: 97 °F, dew point 52 °F - Altimeter: 29.95 inHg - Observed at: BOI ## FAA reports on this event (1) The FAA's own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date (OpenAirDocs). - [Accident 20040716014369A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20040716014369A), Jul 16, 2004: Cessna A185F, Boise, ID, Substantial damage. (-23) On landing, aircraft swerved to the right and pilot overcorrected. Aircraft slid off the runway on the left wheel and tire assembly. The tire was torn… From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.