Cessna 195 N195AF

Summary

On 1 May 2004 at about 16:55 local time, a Cessna 195 registered N195AF, operated by Frederick W. Murdock III, was involved in an accident near Riverside, California, 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

1 May 2004 at 16:55

Classification

Accident

Location

Riverside, California, United States

Nearest airport

Riverside Municipal Airport (KRAL)

Coordinates

33.9517, -117.4450

Aircraft

Cessna 195

Registration

N195AF

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Frederick W. Murdock III

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Riverside → Riverside

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

LAX04LA199

Nobody was injured.

the pilot's failure to maintain directional control, resulting in a veer off the runway and collision with terrain.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The airplane veered off the runway and impacted a ditch during the landing roll. The pilot had completed 10 three-point practice touch-and-go takeoff and landings without mishap, and was attempting his last landing of the day. During the landing roll, the airplane drifted off the centerline to the right. The pilot attempted to counteract the drift by applying left rudder pressure. The airplane continued to veer in a right arc off the side of the runway and encountered a ditch. The airplane impacted terrain, pushing the engine into the firewall and forcing the cockpit floor upward. The pilot reported no mechanical malfunctions with the airplane prior to impact. Later, the pilot stated that the factors that he thought contributed to the accident were a quartering right tailwind, lack of left tail wheel steering, impeded rudder control, pilot error/lack of experience for not attempting to steer via the use of differential braking, and the presence of a ditch in close proximity to the runway. He reported that there was a 4-knot right quartering tailwind from 070 degrees. A Federal Aviation Administration inspector examined the airplane and found no evidence of a malfunction or failure with the brake, control, or ground steering systems. The accident flight was the pilot's first solo flight in the make and model, although he had previously accumulated about 140 hours in the same make and model.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.