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| Date: | Sunday 21 July 2024 |
| Time: | 10:07 |
| Type: |  Cessna A185F Skywagon |
| Owner/operator: | Promotive LLC opb Private |
| Registration: | N185GS |
| MSN: | 18503646 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1978 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1 |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Mountain Empire Airport (MKJ/KMKJ), Rural Retreat, VA -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Landing |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Abingdon-Virginia Highlands Airport, VA (VJI/KVJI) |
| Marion/Wytheville-Mountain Empire Airport, VA (KMKJ) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
The pilot of the tailwheel-equipped airplane reported that after completing a short crosscountry flight, he entered the airport pattern for a full-stop landing. The pilot described that he configured the airplane up for a “full stall, 3-point landing” and upon touching down, the airplane “abruptly swerved to the right.” The pilot recounted that it felt “as if the right brake was applied” but reported that both of his feet were off the brakes. The pilot applied left brake, but it was ineffective because the left wheel was pulled off the runway by the abrupt swerve to the right. To compensate, the pilot increased throttle input, which inadvertently resulted in the airplane beginning a climb away from the runway before entering a descending left turn.
Following the accident, a Federal Aviation Administration inspector examined the airplane’s wheels, tires, and brakes, and found no evidence of any anomalies. A subsequent detailed inspection of the right brake by a mechanic revealed that the internal components of the brake had little wear and showed no evidence of damage or defects. The left main landing gear separated from the fuselage during the accident sequence, therefore the integrity of the hydraulic system used to actuate the brake could not be evaluated.
Probable Cause: A loss of directional control during the landing roll.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
https://www.wdbj7.com/2024/07/21/no-injuries-reported-after-small-plane-crash-rural-retreat/
https://www.wfxrtv.com/news/local-news/southside-virginia-news/small-plane-crashes-at-airport-in-rural-retreat-no-injuries-reported/
https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=194731
https://registry.faa.gov/AircraftInquiry/Search/NNumberResult?nNumberTxt=N185GS
https://www.flightaware.com/live/flight/N185GS/history/20240721/1317Z/KVJI/KMKJ
https://photos.flightaware.com/photos/retriever/d78c54a93d7bbd5f0083459e2f0e7fd672ef43a7 (photo)
History of this aircraft
Other occurrences involving this aircraft
| 17 March 2012 | N185GS | Private | 0 | Fort Worth, TX | |
sub |
| Runway excursion | ||||||
| 4 October 2022 | N185GS | Private | 0 | Horseshoe Bay Resort Airport (DZB/KDZB) | |
sub |
Location
Images:
Photo: FAA
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 21-Jul-2024 18:27 | Geno | Added |
| 22-Jul-2024 16:05 | RobertMB | Updated [Time, Registration, Nature, Source, Narrative, Category, ] |
| 06-Aug-2024 16:39 | Captain Adam | Updated [Time, Location, Source, Narrative, Accident report, ] |
| 04-Sep-2024 20:46 | Captain Adam | Updated [Operator, Source, Narrative, Photo, ] |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
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