No fatalities

21 Aug 2011: CESSNA A185F — Polson, MT

Polson, MT, United States

On 21 Aug 2011, a CESSNA A185F was involved in an aviation accident near Polson, MT. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The pilot failed to maintain directional control of the aircraft during the landing. This summary draws on records from NTSB; 12 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.

SourcesNTSBPrimary reportUpdated 1778583330Data APIEditorial standards

A tailwheel aircraft sustained substantial damage after the pilot lost directional control during the landing phase.

What happened

On August 21, 2011, a Cessna A185F, registration N61609, was performing a landing in Polson, Montana, under visual meteorological conditions with a visibility of 6 miles and winds of 070 degrees at 3 knots. During the landing sequence, the pilot encountered a gust of wind which resulted in a loss of directional control. Consequently, the left wing and the elevator of the aircraft struck the runway.

The accident resulted in no injuries to the pilot. The impact caused substantial damage to both the left wing and the elevator.

Probable cause

The pilot failed to maintain directional control of the aircraft during the landing.

Contributing factors

Directional control — Not attained/maintainedPilot