Cessna 185F N5172R
18 December 2001 · Reno, Nevada, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 18 December 2001 at about 21:30 local time, a Cessna 185F registered N5172R was involved in an accident near Reno, Nevada, United States. 2 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 21:30
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Reno, Nevada, United States
- Nearest airport
- Reno (RNO)
- Coordinates
- 39.4800, -119.7395
- Aircraft
- Cessna 185F
- Registration
- N5172R
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Carson City → Reno
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- LAX02LA052
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
Probable cause
Wear on the tail wheel thrust plate spacers resulted in the compression springs binding on the thrust plates and the tail wheel sticking, so that the pilot could not maintain directional control.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The left wing and horizontal stabilizer sustained substantial damage when they contacted the ground during the landing roll. The landing was uneventful until the pilot lowered the tail to the ground, and the airplane suddenly veered to the right. The pilot locked up the left wheel brake, but the airplane continued to the right. Just before the airplane stopped, the left wing and horizontal stabilizer contacted the ground. The pilot said that on several previous occasions the tail wheel seemed to stick initially and cause the airplane to deviate from the selected track, but would free up and track straight. Post accident examination revealed that the tail wheel rotated freely until moved to its maximum left deflection limit, and the tail wheel locked in this position. A mechanic detected wear on both sides of the thrust plate spacers (part number 3407-00). He suspected that the tail wheel springs (part number 3233-00) were binding on the thrust plates. He recommended replacement of the thrust plates whenever they showed wear on either side.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Cessna 185 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22 Jul 2001 | Cessna 185F | Visalia, California, United States | Mark Daily | No injuries | - |
| 7 Jul 2001 | Cessna 185 | Cantwell, Alaska, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 26 Jul 2001 | Cessna 185 | Yakutat, Alaska, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 22 Aug 2001 | Cessna 185F | Cordova, Alaska, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 27 Jul 2001 | Cessna 185 | Yakutat, Alaska, United States | Gulf Air Taxi Inc | Fatal | 1 |
| 5 Oct 2001 | Cessna 185 | Port Alsworth, Alaska, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
All 1,004 records for this type
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 Nov 2001 | Cessna 210K | North Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 25 Aug 2001 | Champion 7FC | Reno, Nevada, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 26 Jul 2001 | Cessna TU-206F | Minden, Nevada, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 11 May 2001 | Aviat A-1B | Apex, Nevada, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 2 Sep 2001 | Sparke AIR COMMAND 582 DUAL | Gerlach, Nevada, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 16 Mar 2001 | Cessna 182E | Boulder City, Nevada, United States | Skydive Las Vegas | Minor injuries | - |