Cessna A185 N4490R

Summary

On 20 August 2024 at about 01:45 local time, a Cessna A185 registered N4490R was involved in an accident near Loveland, Colorado, United States. 3 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

20 August 2024 at 01:45

Classification

Accident

Location

Loveland, Colorado, United States

Nearest airport

Northern Colorado Rgnl (FNL)

Coordinates

40.4530, -105.0111

Aircraft

Cessna A185

Registration

N4490R

Category

Airplane

Year built

1976

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Broomfield → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN24LA321

Nobody was injured.

The pilot’s failure to maintain directional control during the landing, that resulted in a ground loop and a runway excursion. Contributing to the accident was the flight instructor’s delayed remedial action.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

Before the landing, the pilot told the flight instructor that he “wasn’t real comfortable” with the landing, as he had never landed to the particular runway before, which he classified as shorter and narrower. The flight instructor said the landing would be “okay,” and the pilot completed the before landing checklist with the tailwheel unlocked and full flaps applied for the three-point landing. After touchdown, the airplane bounced and immediately after the second touchdown, the airplane ground looped and departed the runway to the left. The right main landing gear collapsed, and the right wing and the empennage impacted the ground. The airplane came to rest upright on a grass field next to the runway and the three occupants were able to egress from the airplane without further incident. The airplane sustained substantial damaged to the fuselage, the right wing, and the empennage. The pilot reported there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airframe or the engine that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot further reported that a ground loop had occurred “very fast,” and the cause of the accident was “human error.”

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.