- Date
- May 16, 2020, 19:00 local (May 17, 2020, 01:00 UTC)
- Place
- Winifred, MT
- Injuries
- 3 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N185Cessna 185
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: Abnormal runway contact
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Western Pacific Region
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration
- FAA report
- 20200517000909A
- Case key
- 101287
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
An inadequate flare that resulted in a bounced landing and the pilot's subsequent delayed decision to go-around that did not allow for sufficient clearance from trees when the airplane was affected by a gusting wind.
Findings · 4
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 reported that trees lined the east side of the dirt airstrip, and the first 800 ft sloped up, then doglegged to the left at the top. The pilot reported that he flew over the treetops and after he flared the airplane, it touched down and bounced. The pilot added power to counteract the bounce; however, it bounced a second time. The pilot then added full power to go around. While the airplane was still in ground effect, it crested the top of the upslope and a strong gust of wind pushed the airplane to the right directly toward a tree. The pilot added left rudder control in an attempt to avoid the tree; however, the outboard portion of the right wing impacted the tree. The airplane entered a sideways skid, touched down, and skidded for about 150 ft before it came to a stop. The fuselage and both wings were substantially damaged. The pilot reported no mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N185
- Reported as
- Cessna 185 (Undesignat)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 185-0154
- Built
- 1961
- Airframe hours
- 4,614
- Engine
- Continental IO-470 SERIES, 260 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · January 14, 2020 · 23 hours before
- Departed
- GTF · Great Falls, MT
- Destination
- LC0 · Winifred, MT
- Airport
- LC0 · Left Coulee Airport, runway 09, 1,600 × 60 ft, dirt
- Equipment
- ADS-B
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
- 52
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- April 18, 2020
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- Lap only
- Flight hours
- 10,700 total · 349 in this make and model · 2,300 as pilot in command · 50 in the last 90 days · 20 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 120° at 3 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 75 °F, dew point 45 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.70 inHg
- Observed at
- S71, 43 nm away
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on July 1, 2020, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 4.0 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.