- Date
- August 3, 2020, 08:37 local (14:37 UTC)
- Place
- Kalispell, MT
- Injuries
- 3 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N185GKCessna A185
- Defining event
- Landing: Runway excursion
- 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
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20200803013369A
- Case key
- 101728
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 excessive speed while landing on a wet grass runway, which resulted in a runway excursion and impact with a fence.
Findings · 3
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 of a tailwheel equipped airplane reported that, while on finial approach to land, the approach speed was too fast. During the landing roll on a wet 1,500 ft long grass runway, braking action was poor, and the pilot was unable to stop the airplane. Subsequently, the airplane overran the departure end of the runway and impacted a fence. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Factual narrative
The pilot of a tailwheel equipped airplane reported that, while on finial approach to land, the approach speed was too fast. During the landing roll on a wet 1,500 ft long grass runway, braking action was poor, and the pilot was unable to stop the airplane. Subsequently, the airplane overran the departure end of the runway and impacted a fence. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N185GK
- Reported as
- Cessna A185 (F)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 18503687
- Built
- 1978
- Airframe hours
- 2,580
- Engine
- Continental IO-520-FCD, 300 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · October 1, 2019
- Departed
- 32S · Stevensville, MT
- Destination
- PVT · Kalispell, MT
- Flight plan
- VFR
- Airport
- PVT · Pvt, runway 12, 1,500 × 50 ft, grass/turf
- Equipment
- Electronic primary flight display, Auto-pilot, 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
- 65
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Airline transport, Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine sea, Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- March 7, 2020
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 24,500 total · 1,000 in this make and model · 13,000 as pilot in command · 150 in the last 90 days · 50 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 60° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 66 °F, dew point 54 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.02 inHg
- Observed at
- KGPI, 8 nm away
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on August 24, 2020, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 1.3 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.