NTSB CEN20CA285 — 2020-07-15 · Rochester, Indiana, United States

Current FAA registration · N2231T

Make / Model: CESSNA A185E
Year of manufacture: 1968 · 52 years old at event
Engine: CONT MOTOR IO 520 SERIES (285 hp)
Seats / Engines: 6 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date: 19700715
ADS-B equipped: Yes — Mode-S A1EEB3

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

N2231T Cessna A185 None

Probable cause & findings

The pilot's failure to maintain directional control during landing resulting in a ground loop.

Factual narrative

The private pilot, with a passenger onboard, stated they were landing runway 11 and had completed a "3-point landing." On rollout, the airplane began to veer to the right. The pilot applied full left rudder and full left brake, but he was unable to stop the right turn. The airplane ground looped and came to rest in the grass on the right side of the runway. The airplane's left wing was substantially damaged when it struck the ground. The pilot indicated that there were no airplane mechanical malfunctions during the flight. The private pilot, with a passenger onboard, stated they were landing on runway 11 and had completed a "3-point landing." On rollout, the airplane began to veer to the right. The pilot applied full left rudder and full left brake, but he was unable to stop the right turn. The airplane ground looped and came to rest in the grass on the right side of the runway. The airplane's left wing was substantially damaged when it struck the ground. The pilot indicated that there were no airplane mechanical malfunctions during the flight. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

C Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot - C

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2020_CEN20CA285.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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