On 19 Nov 2009, a CESSNA C185F was involved in an aviation accident near Auburn, ME. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The pilot’s failure to maintain directional control while landing. This summary draws on records from NTSB; 1 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.
During a wheels landing, the airplane yawed left, then veered sharply right after rudder correction, skidded off the runway, and the left main gear collapsed, causing substantial damage.
Accident Sequence
According to the pilot, he was performing a wheels landing at the conclusion of a local flight. After the main wheels touched down, the airplane yawed to the left. The pilot applied right rudder to correct the yaw. In response, the airplane veered sharply to the right and began to skid sideways down the runway. The pilot was unable to recover from the skid before the airplane departed the right side of the runway.
Damage
As the airplane left the runway surface, the left main landing gear dug into the ground and collapsed. The airplane then rolled onto its left side. The left wing and left horizontal stabilizer sustained substantial damage.
Pilot Report
The pilot stated that there were no pre-impact mechanical anomalies with the airplane.
Contributing factors
Directional control — Not attained/maintainedPilot