Cessna A185F N185MR

Summary

On 19 August 2007 at about 18:40 local time, a Cessna A185F registered N185MR was involved in an accident near Lake City, Colorado, 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

19 August 2007 at 18:40

Classification

Accident

Location

Lake City, Colorado, United States

Nearest airport

Castle Pines (CD32)

Coordinates

37.8333, -107.3333

Aircraft

Cessna A185F

Registration

N185MR

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Lake City → Corpus Christi

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

DEN07CA139

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's improper preflight planning, his inability to attain short field takeoff performance, and his intentional maneuvering of the airplane into bushes and a fence during the aborted takeoff. Factors contributing to the accident were the high density altitude and the tailwind.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

According to the pilot, he was taking off on runway 04 (3,200 feet by 50 feet, gravel, down-sloping). The pilot stated that he leaned the mixture for altitude performance and added 20 degrees of flaps prior to the takeoff roll. "At mid-field the liftoff appeared normal" and the "airplane was beginning to become light on it's wheels and about to begin flying in ground effect." He said, "However, in the remaining 700 to 1,000 feet, at maximum acceleration, the aircraft appeared to be pushed back down to the ground. The pilot said he executed "emergency abort procedures which consisted of directing the aircraft toward bushes at the end of the runway to absorb the impact, pulling the fuel cut-off to stop the flow of fuel, and turning off the magnetos and ignition switch to reduce the chance of fire." The airplane impacted bushes and a fence at the departure end of the runway causing substantial damage to the wings, left main landing gear, and left horizontal stabilizer . The pilot reported no anomalies with the airplane or its systems. Recorded temperatures in the area, at the time of the accident, ranged from 70 to 77 degrees Fahrenheit (F) with dew points of 44 to 46 degrees F. According to the pilot, the temperature at the airport was 51 degrees F. Density altitude ranges were calculated to be from 10,000 to 12,200 feet. The pilot stated that there was 10 to 15 knots of tailwind during the takeoff. According to airport information, the runway is 3,200 feet in length and slopes down 50 feet. Forty foot trees are located at the end of the runway. Performance data showed a required takeoff distance of 3,200 to 3,300 feet on a paved runway, to clear a 50 foot obstacle at the end of the runway.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.