No fatalities

16 Aug 2013: CESSNA 185 — David Henley — Sleetmute, AK

Sleetmute, AK, United States

On 16 Aug 2013, a CESSNA 185 operated by David Henley was involved in an aviation accident near Sleetmute, AK. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The pilot's failure to maintain directional control during 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

During landing roll, a tailwheel-equipped airplane veered right after tailwheel contact, exited the runway, and sustained structural damage to the fuselage gear box. No preaccident mechanical issues were reported.

Incident Description

The pilot of a tailwheel-equipped airplane reported that during the landing roll, the aircraft operated normally until the tailwheel touched the ground. At that point, the airplane began to veer to the right. Despite the pilot's corrective control inputs, the airplane continued to deviate from the runway heading, eventually departing the runway surface. The aircraft came to rest in an upright position.

Damage

Following the event, the pilot examined the airplane and discovered structural damage to the fuselage gear box. No other damage was specified in the pilot's report.

Pilot Report

The pilot stated that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The cause of the veering was not attributed to any known mechanical issue.

Contributing factors

Directional control — Not attained/maintained