Cessna 185A N1624H

Summary

On 16 May 2004 at about 15:45 local time, a Cessna 185A registered N1624H was involved in an accident near Polson, Montana, 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

16 May 2004 at 15:45

Classification

Accident

Location

Polson, Montana, United States

Nearest airport

Polson Airport (8S1)

Coordinates

47.6953, -114.1858

Aircraft

Cessna 185A

Registration

N1624H

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Polson → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

SEA04LA087

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's inadequate compensation for the changing wind conditions at the time of the landing. Factors include gusty, variable, crosswinds, and a runway marker near the edge of the runway the pilot was landing on.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

On the day of the accident, the pilot was performing a series of touch-and-go landings in variable gusty wind conditions in order to "...maintain proficiency on a gusty day." After three successful touch-and-go landings, he pilot decided to make the next landing a full-stop termination of the flight. During the subject landing, the wind shifted from a quartering headwind to a quartering tailwind, and although the touchdown was uneventful, during the landing roll the aircraft suddenly started turning toward the side of the runway. Although the pilot applied control inputs in an attempt to keep the aircraft on the runway, his inputs were not adequate to overcome the effects of the varying wind conditions, and therefore the aircraft departed the side of the runway. The pilot then added full power in order to regain control and execute a go-around. During that sequence of events, the aircraft's left wing contacted the ground and the left horizontal stabilizer impacted a runway marker. The pilot was then able to complete the go-around, whereupon he flew a normal traffic pattern and retuned for a subsequent full-stop landing. He discovered the damage to the airframe after taxiing to his hanger and shutting the aircraft down. There was no evidence of any anomaly in the flight control or wheel brake systems.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.