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Atlas / NTSB / CEN25LA260

NTSB CAROL · Event

Event CEN25LA260

2025-07-19 Lansing, Michigan, United States Airport · LAN None 1 aircraft Status: Completed

Registry · N888DK

FAA Aircraft Registry record.

Make / Model

CESSNA A185F

Year of manufacture

1982 · 43 years old at event

Engine

CONT MOTOR IO 520 SERIES (285 hp)

Seats / Engines

6 seats · 1 engine

Last airworthiness date

19850729

ADS-B equipped

Yes — Mode-S AC3BE2

Registrant of record

CALDERON JOSE MANUEL

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The pilot’s improper landing flare and subsequent failure to maintain directional control during the landing in a crosswind condition.

Factual narrative

The pilot reported that he flared too high during the landing, possibly due to a runway width illusion. The airplane bounced on contact with the runway and then began to weathervane into the crosswind. The pilot stated he performed control inputs to minimize the ground loop but was unsuccessful and the right wing scraped the runway. Contact with the runway resulted in substantial damage to the right wing and aileron. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. At the time of the accident, the pilot was landing the airplane on runway 28L with wind from 200° at 8 knots. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

Hierarchical cause / factor breakdown from the FAA bulk avdata database. Each finding tagged C (Cause) or F (Factor).

  • Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot
  • Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Landing flare-Attain/maintain not possible
  • Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Wind-Crosswind-Response/compensation

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2025_CEN25LA260.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.