Cessna A185F N5468E

Summary

On 20 May 2006 at about 20:00 local time, a Cessna A185F registered N5468E was involved in an accident near Columbia, California, 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.

Date

20 May 2006 at 20:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Columbia, California, United States

Nearest airport

Columbia Airport (O22)

Coordinates

38.0306, -120.4144

Aircraft

Cessna A185F

Registration

N5468E

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Brownsville → Columbia

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

LAX06CA179

Nobody was injured.

the pilot's inadequate compensation for the crosswind condition and his failure to maintain directional control during the landing rollout.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The tail wheel equipped airplane ground looped on landing. The Automated Weather Observation System (AWOS) reported that the wind was 170 degrees at 4 knots. The pilot entered the pattern at 45 degrees to the right downwind for runway 17. He said he could not see the windsock on final approach, but the stability of the airplane confirmed the weather report. He executed a three-point full stall landing. Immediately upon touchdown, the airplane's tail swung to the left. He applied full left rudder to regain directional control, but the airplane did not respond. The airplane turned 90 degrees to the right, began skidding on the left main gear, and tilted to the left. The left wing and horizontal tail surfaces made contact with the runway and the airplane came to rest after completing a 180-degree turn. The windsock at midfield indicated a 90-degree right crosswind at approximately 10 knots. The Airport/Facility Directory (A/FD) entry for Columbia Airport states, "varying wind direction and velocity may be encountered at midpoint of runway 17-35 due to terrain features and wind flow patterns." The pilot stated that the airplane and engine had no mechanical failures or malfunctions during the flight.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.