- Date
- July 27, 2023, 17:15 local (Jul 28, 2023, 00:15 UTC)
- Place
- Friday Habor, WA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N185GGCessna A185F
- Defining event
- Landing: Hard landing
- 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
- 20230727020939A
- Case key
- 192757
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 landing, which resulted in a ground loop.
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 of the tailwheel-equipped airplane reported that, the airplane bounced during touchdown on a 3-point landing. The pilot elected to not correct with power or to execute a go-around. During the second touchdown, he was unable to arrest the airplane veering to the right and ground looped. The airplane exited the runway and the left gear collapsed. The left wing sustained substantial damage. The pilot reported there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N185GG
- Reported as
- Cessna A185F
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 18502787
- Built
- 1975
- Airframe hours
- 3,490
- Engine
- Continental IO-520-D24M, 300 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · March 17, 2021
- Departed
- BFI · Seattle, WA
- Destination
- Same as departure
- Airport
- FHR · Friday Harbor Airport, runway 16, 3,402 × 75 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- Electronic multifunction display, Auto-pilot, Angle of attack indicator, ADS-B, Stall warning system, Electronic primary flight display
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
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Single-engine sea, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- May 14, 2021
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 1,631 total · 730 in this make and model · 1,414 as pilot in command · 11 in the last 90 days · 8 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 250° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 70 °F, dew point 55 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.04 inHg
- Observed at
- KFHR
- METAR
- KFHR 280053Z AUTO 25005KT 10SM CLR 21/13 A3004 RMK AO2 SLP174 T02110128 $
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on November 2, 2023, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 2.3 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.
Other investigations on N185GG · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.