No fatalities

Tailwheel Airplane Veers Off Runway During Landing Roll

Fall River Mills, CA, United States

On May 27, 2017, a CESSNA A185 E was involved in an aviation accident near Fall River Mills, CA. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The pilot’s failure to maintain directional control during the landing roll. This summary draws on records from NTSB; 12 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.

SourcesNTSBPrimary reportUpdated 2026-08-03Data APIEditorial standards

During the landing roll, a tailwheel airplane veered hard right, and despite full left rudder and brake application, the pilot could not correct it. The airplane exited the runway, collapsing the left main landing gear and causing the left wing to impact the ground.

Accident Details

A tailwheel-equipped airplane experienced a loss of directional control during the landing roll. According to the pilot, the airplane "went hard right and with full left rudder and break [,they] could not bring it back around." The airplane subsequently veered off the runway to the right. As it departed the runway surface, the left main landing gear collapsed, and the left wing struck the ground.

Damage

The accident resulted in substantial damage to the left wing of the airplane. No other damage was reported.

Pilot Report

The pilot stated that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot did not specify any other contributing factors.

Contributing factors

Directional control — Not attained/maintainedPilot