- Date
- April 9, 1992, 15:55 local (21:55 UTC)
- Place
- Billings, MT
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N135NCCessna A185F
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report August 25, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19920409009349A
- Case key
- 41652
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
A worn tailwheel steering system and inadequate inspection of the airplane. A factor relating to the accident was the crosswind condition.
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
While landing the tailwheel airplane with a direct x-wind from the right, the airplane swerved off the right side of the runway and ground looped. Investigation revealed that the tailwheel would freely swivel to the right resulting in no steering to the left. This free castering was caused by wear on one side of the latch spring, and corresponding wear in the spring notch in the steering arm assembly. The rudder still had full travel available both to the right and left.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N135NC
- Reported as
- Cessna A185F
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 185-03992
- Engine
- Continental IO-520, 300 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Smith, Vern G.
- Registered owner
- Smith, Vern G.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · January 2, 2000
- Departed
- MBG · Mobridge, SD
- Airport
- BIL · Billings, runway 27, 9,000 × 150 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
- 55
- Certificates
- Airline transport, Flight engineer
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 28,788 total · 800 in this make and model · 21,000 as pilot in command · 210 in the last 90 days · 74 in the last 30 days · 6 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 10° at 12 knots
- Visibility
- 40 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 5,500 ft broken
- Temperature
- 45 °F, dew point 34 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.