SEA93LA218

NTSB accident investigation · Cessna A188B · Rockford, WA · July 12, 1993

Accident · No injuriesLimited investigationFinal report
Date
July 12, 1993, 14:00 local (21:00 UTC)
Place
Rockford, WA
Injuries
1 uninjured
Damage
Substantial damage
Phase of flight
Landing
Aircraft
N5858GCessna A188B
Weather
Not reported
Status
Completed · report October 20, 1994
Report
Approved by Office Director
FAA report
19930712052529A
Case key
41783

From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.

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Probable cause

The pilot failed to maintain alignment with the landing area. A factor to the accident was: high vegetation.

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.

On ground/water encounter with terrain/waterLanding - roll
Terrain condition - high vegetationFactor
Proper alignment - not maintainedPilot in commandCause

Analysis

A witness reported that the pilot stated that during the landing roll, the wing caught in the tall grass and the tailwheel collided with a gopher hole and separated.

Factual narrative

On or about July 12, 1993, at 1400 Pacific daylight time, a Cessna A188B, N5858G, collided with the terrain during the landing roll near Rockford, Washington. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time and no flight plan was filed for the local aerial application flight. The airplane was substantially damaged and the private pilot was not injured.

The accident was not reported until March 18, 1994, when a Federal Aviation Administration Inspector in Spokane, Washington, received a call from a witness who reported that the accident occurred sometime between June 1993 and August 1993. During a telephone interview, the witness reported that the pilot entered his workshop and the pilot stated that he damaged the airplane. The witness accompanied the pilot to the airstrip and helped the pilot move the airplane into a hangar. The pilot stated to the witness that during landing, the wing caught in tall grass and that the tailwheel separated when it collided with a gopher hole.

The witness stated that one wing was damaged, the tail section was "torn up" and the fuselage behind the cockpit was "tweaked."

A Federal Aviation Administration Inspector at Spokane, stated that he saw the airplane when it was being repaired, but did not realize that it had not been reported.

During a telephone interview, the mechanic who performed repairs on the airplane stated that he performed a major repair and alteration to the empennage of the airplane, but did not know how the airplane was damaged.

To this date, the National Transportation Safety Board has not been notified, by the pilot, that the accident occurred. The pilot's attorney reports that the pilot denies that there was an accident or other occurrence which would require reporting under Part 830. The date and time of the accident were arbitrarily selected for the purpose of this report.

Aircraft

Registration
N5858G
Reported as
Cessna A188B
Category
Airplane
Serial number
18801157
Engine
Continental O-470, 230 horsepower, reciprocating
Damage
Substantial damage
Flight
Aerial application · Part 137
Operator
Dashiell, Paul T.
Registered owner
Dsm Flying
Airworthiness certificate
Special, Restricted (Special)

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
42
Certificate
Private
Airplane ratings
Single-engine land, Single-engine sea
Medical
Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
Seat
Front
Flight hours
1,400 total

Weather

Conditions
Not reported

FAA reports on this event · 1

The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.