Cessna A185 N76SC

Summary

On 5 May 2018 at about 18:05 local time, a Cessna A185 registered N76SC was involved in an accident near Chandler, Arizona, 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

5 May 2018 at 18:05

Classification

Accident

Location

Chandler, Arizona, United States

Nearest airport

Chandler Muni (CHD)

Coordinates

33.2717, -111.8133

Aircraft

Cessna A185

Registration

N76SC

Category

Airplane

Year built

1981

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Palm Springs → Chandler

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

GAA18CA256

Nobody was injured.

The pilot’s failure to maintain directional control during landing in gusting tailwind conditions.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot of the tailwheel-equipped airplane reported that, during final approach, the airplane required about 10° of crab to the right to maintain alignment with the runway. During the landing flare, he reduced power to idle, slowly applied rudder to align the fuselage with the runway centerline, and added right aileron to counter the crosswind. He added that, during the three-point landing, the airplane bounced. During the landing roll, he had full right aileron countering the wind when a "perceived" gust lifted the right wing. He held full right aileron, full aft yoke, and used the rudder to maintain alignment. Subsequently, about 40 knots groundspeed, the left main landing gear collapsed, and the left wing impacted the runway. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing and aileron. The pilot reported that the left main landing gear detached from the airplane. The automated weather observation system located at the accident airport reported that, about 20 minutes before the accident, the wind was from 110° at 8 knots, gusting to 19 knots. The same observation system reported that, about 10 minutes after the accident, the wind was from 150° at 13 knots, gusting to 21 knots. The pilot landed on runway 4R.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.