Before the landing at the airport in Loveland, Colorado, the pilot told the flight instructor that he “wasn’t real comfortable” with the landing, as he had never landed on that 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 Cessna 185’s tailwheel unlocked and full flaps applied for the three-point landing.
After touchdown, the plane bounced and, immediately after the second touchdown, it ground looped and departed the runway to the left. The right main landing gear collapsed and the right wing and the empennage hit the ground. The airplane came to rest upright on a grass field next to the runway and the three occupants were able to get out of the airplane without further incident.
The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage, the right wing, and the empennage.
The pilot reported there were no pre-impact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airframe or the engine that would have precluded normal operation. He added the ground loop occurred “very fast,” and the cause of the accident was “human error.”
Probable Cause: 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.
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This August 2024 accident report is provided by the National Transportation Safety Board. Published as an educational tool, it is intended to help pilots learn from the misfortunes of others.
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