Cessna 185F N4836Q

Summary

On 13 February 2004 at about 21:26 local time, a Cessna 185F registered N4836Q, operated by Michael Golder, was involved in an accident near Mesa, Arizona, United States. One person was 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.

Date

13 February 2004 at 21:26

Classification

Accident

Location

Mesa, Arizona, United States

Nearest airport

Falcon Field (FFZ)

Coordinates

33.4608, -111.7283

Aircraft

Cessna 185F

Registration

N4836Q

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Michael Golder

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Mesa → Mesa

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

LAX04LA131

Nobody was injured.

the pilot's inadequate compensation for the crosswind and his failure to maintain directional control, which resulted in an inadvertent ground loop. A factor in this accident was the pilot's diverted attention.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The airplane ground looped during landing and swerved off the runway. During the landing rollout while practicing touch-and-go takeoffs and landings, the pilot looked down to set the trim. When he looked up, the airplane was turning right, and the left wing tip was almost touching the ground. The airplane then veered off the runway, and the left wing impacted the ground. The pilot reported that no mechanical problems were experienced with the airplane. The pilot's total flying experience was about 265 hours, with the majority of the flight time in conventional gear airplanes. He had approximately 7 hours of flight time in this make and model of airplane, accumulating 2 hours of flight time in the last thirty days. To prevent similar accidents, the pilot recommended "not looking down, and flying the airplane until it stops." About the time of the accident, the 90-degree right crosswind component was approximately 8 knots.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.