No fatalities

4 Sep 2018: Cessna 206 H — London, KY

London, KY, United States

On 4 Sep 2018, a Cessna 206 H was involved in an aviation accident near London, KY. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The pilot’s failure to maintain directional control during takeoff with a tailwind. 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 a touch and go landing, the pilot reported the airplane drifted left, exited the runway, and became airborne. After touching down again, the front landing gear separated, causing substantial damage.

Event Details

The pilot reported that during a touch and go landing, just after the airplane touched down, he reduced the flaps to 10° and applied full throttle for takeoff. While increasing airspeed, the airplane drifted to the left. He added right rudder, but the airplane continued to drift left, so he reduced engine power. The airplane then exited the left side of the runway. He briefly applied full throttle to cross a drainage ditch, and the airplane became airborne. Subsequently, when the airplane touched back down, the front landing gear separated from the airframe, and the airplane came to rest nosed down.

Aircraft Damage

The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right wing and fuselage.

Weather Conditions

The automated weather observation system at the accident airport reported that, about the time of the accident, the wind was from 100° at 3 knots. The pilot was performing a touch and go on runway 24.

Contributing factors

Causes

Directional control — Not attained/maintainedPilot

Other contributing factors

Effect on equipmentEffect on operation