- Date
- August 21, 2011, 12:30 local (18:30 UTC)
- Place
- Polson, MT
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N61609Cessna A185F
- Defining event
- Landing-landing roll: Loss of control on ground
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report November 3, 2011
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Western Pacific Region
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration
- FAA report
- 20110821018069A
- Case key
- 81585
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 directional control during landing.
Findings · 2
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The pilot said that, while landing in his tailwheel-equipped airplane, he encountered a gust of wind. He experienced a loss of directional control and the left wing and elevator struck the runway. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing and elevator. The pilot stated that the airplane had no mechanical failures or malfunctions during the flight.
Factual narrative
The pilot said that during landing his tailwheel equipped airplane encountered a gust of wind. He experienced a loss of directional control and the left wing and elevator struck the runway. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing and elevator. The pilot reported no malfunctions prior to the accident.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N61609
- Reported as
- Cessna A185F
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 18504235
- Airframe hours
- 3,165
- Engine
- Cont Motor IO-550 SERIES, 300 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Unknown · September 6, 2011
- Departed
- BZM · Bozeman Airport, MT
- Destination
- 8S1 · Poulson, MT
- Airport
- 8S1 · Polson Airport, runway 36, 4,195 × 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
- 69
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- April 12, 2011
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 4,172 total · 1,957 in this make and model · 3,980 as pilot in command · 88 in the last 90 days · 17 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 70° at 3 knots
- Visibility
- 6 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 70 °F, dew point 39 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.05 inHg
- Observed at
- GPI, 37 nm away
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on October 3, 2011, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 959 KB in all.
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 N61609 · 3
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.