Cessna A188B N4207J

Summary

On 5 July 2017 at about 16:00 local time, a Cessna A188B registered N4207J was involved in an accident near Kankakee, Illinois, 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

5 July 2017 at 16:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Kankakee, Illinois, United States

Nearest airport

Greater Kankakee (IKK)

Coordinates

41.0714, -87.8464

Aircraft

Cessna A188B

Registration

N4207J

Category

Airplane

Year built

1980

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Ferry

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Salem → Veddersburg

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

GAA17CA461

Nobody was injured.

The pilot’s improper landing flare, which resulted in a bounced landing, and his subsequent incorrect brake application, which led to the loss of directional control.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot in the tailwheel-equipped airplane reported that he made a three-point landing on runway 4, but the airspeed was high, and the airplane bounced. The airplane then descended and landed on the main landing gear. As the airspeed decreased and the tailwheel settled to the runway, the pilot felt that he did not have rudder authority, and he mistakenly attempted to apply the heel brakes. The accident airplane was equipped with toe brakes. The pilot's other airplane had heel brakes, and he recalled that the heel brake application was instinctive. The pilot reported that there was a crosswind, that the airplane began pulling to the right, and that he eventually applied the toe brakes, but the airplane ground looped to the right. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the horizontal stabilizer. The METAR reported that the wind was from 130° at 7 knots and that the sky was clear with 10 statute miles of visibility. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.