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CEN23LA189

2023-05-16 · Grand Junction, Colorado, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport GJT

Current FAA registration · N4742E

Make / Model
CESSNA A185F
Seats / Engines
6 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date
19790620
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S A5D299

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The pilot’s failure to maintain directional control during the landing roll with gusting wind.

Factual narrative

The pilot reported that, while performing a 3-point landing, a wind gust from the right caused the airplane to “balloon” and bounce during the initial touchdown. During the attempted bounce recovery, the tundra tires firmly grabbed the grooved runway resulting in a ground loop. During the ground loop, the left wing struck the ground which resulted in substantial damage to the wing. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident malfunctions or failures with the airplane which would have precluded normal operation. At the time of the accident, the pilot was landing the airplane on runway 29 with wind from 330° at 7 knots gusting to 17 knots. The pilot stated that he was unfamiliar flying this airplane with large tundra tires. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

  • — Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Wind-Gusts-Effect on operation
  • — Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2023_CEN23LA189.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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