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| Date: | Monday 19 August 2024 |
| Time: | 19:45 |
| Type: |  Cessna A185F Skywagon |
| Owner/operator: | Pioneer LLC |
| Registration: | N4490R |
| MSN: | 18502970 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1976 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 3 |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Northern Colorado Regional Airport (FNL/KFNL), Loveland, CO -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Landing |
| Nature: | Training |
| Departure airport: | Broomfield-Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport, CO (BJC/KBJC) |
| Fort Collins/Loveland-Northern Colorado Regional Airport, CO (FNL/KFNL) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
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 threepoint 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.”
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.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB
https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=194973
https://registry.faa.gov/AircraftInquiry/Search/NNumberResult?nNumberTxt=N4490R
https://flightaware.com/live/flight/N4490R/history/20240820/0145Z/KBJC/KFNL
https://s3.amazonaws.com/mfbimages/logbook/images/aircraft/id/369221/2024081016204484-8273643_.jpg (photo)
Location
Images:
Photo: FAA
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 20-Aug-2024 13:32 | Captain Adam | Added |
| 20-Aug-2024 17:54 | RobertMB | Updated [Location, Source, Narrative, ] |
| 21-Aug-2024 04:14 | Captain Adam | Updated [Source, Narrative, ] |
| 22-Aug-2024 09:43 | Captain Adam | Updated [Time, Nature, Source, Accident report, ] |
| 23-Sep-2024 22:31 | Captain Adam | Updated [Location, Source, Narrative, Photo, ] |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
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