- Date
- April 8, 2014, 11:26 local (18:26 UTC)
- Place
- Shaw Island, WA
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N685SCessna 207
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: Loss of control in flight
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 18, 2014
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Western Pacific Region
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration FSDO
- FAA report
- 20140408003789A
- Case key
- 89035
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 loss of directional control during the landing flare with a gusting tailwind.
Findings · 5
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
During the landing flare on the uphill runway of the private grass airstrip, the airplane encountered a quartering tailwind gust causing it to shift left of the centerline. The pilot applied corrective control inputs avoiding a ditch; however, the left horizontal stabilizer struck a rock berm. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the horizontal stabilizer and elevator during the accident sequence. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The airstrip was comprised of grass and gravel, and was wet at the time of the accident.
Factual narrative
During the landing flare on the uphill runway of the private grass airstrip, the airplane encountered a quartering tailwind gust causing it to shift left of the centerline. The pilot applied corrective control inputs avoiding a ditch; however, the left horizontal stabilizer struck a rock berm. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the horizontal stabilizer and elevator during the accident sequence. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The airstrip was comprised of grass and gravel, and was wet at the time of the accident.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N685S
- Reported as
- Cessna 207
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 20700184
- Built
- 1970
- Airframe hours
- 19,106
- Engine
- Cont Motor IO 520 SERIES, 300 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Part 135
- Operator
- Aircraft Adventures LLC, doing business as Northwest Skyferry/San Juan Airlines
- Registered owner
- Aircraft Adventures LLC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · January 30, 2014 · 33 hours before
- Departed
- FHR · Friday Harbor, WA
- Destination
- PVT · Shaw Island, WA
- Flight plan
- Company VFR
- Airport
- PVT · Shaw Island, runway 01, 1,750 × 30 ft, gravel
- Equipment
- Stall warning system
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
- 71
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Commercial, Airline transport, Flight engineer
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- March 17, 2014
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 28,000 total · 16 in this make and model · 22,000 as pilot in command · 94 in the last 90 days · 36 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Variable at 3 knots
- Visibility
- 8 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 5,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 54 °F, dew point 52 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.96 inHg
- Observed at
- BLI, 25 nm away
Docket · 4
The files NTSB released with the investigation on June 4, 2014, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 7.9 MB 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.