Cessna A185F N185KH

Summary

On 3 May 2008 at about 22:00 local time, a Cessna A185F registered N185KH was involved in an accident near Mexican Hat, Utah, 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

3 May 2008 at 22:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Mexican Hat, Utah, United States

Nearest airport

Nokai Dome (NONE)

Coordinates

37.2783, -110.5667

Aircraft

Cessna A185F

Registration

N185KH

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Grand Gulch → Mexican Hat

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

LAX08CA129

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's failure to maintain directional control.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot took off from a dirt road, and the right main gear encountered a rut. The pilot wasn't sure if this damaged the gear leg or tire assembly. He continued his flight to a dirt strip. He flew over the field twice to assess the winds and the condition of the field. There was no wind indicator at the field and he elected to land uphill on a westerly heading. He experienced significant downdrafts on short final, and added power to compensate. He bounced the landing, which he reported was recoverable with power. The airplane then bounced once or twice slightly, and veered sharply to the left of the runway. It departed the runway, impacted trees and bushes, and nosed over, causing substantial damage to the wings, horizontal stabilizer, and vertical stabilizer. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures of the airplane.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.