CHAPEL HILL, NC, USA
N8527Q
CESSNA A185F
THE AIRPLANE WAS LANDING ON RUNWAY 27. THE PILOT REPORTED THE SURFACE WINDS TO BE FROM THE SOUTH AT 7 TO 10 KNOTS, WITH GUSTS TO 15 KNOTS. DURING THE LANDING ROLLOUT, A GUST OF WIND WAS ENCOUNTERED. THE PILOT LOST DIRECTIONAL CONTROL, AND THE AIRCRAFT DEPARTED THE RUNWAY SURFACE TO THE RIGHT. THE AIRCRAFT THEN GROUND LOOPED. THE PILOT REPORTED NO MECHANICAL MALFUNCTION OR FAILURE WITH THE AIRCRAFT.
On May 25, 1994, at 1430 eastern daylight time, a Cessna A185F, N8527Q, was substantially damaged during a loss of directional control while landing at the Horace Williams Airport in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. The airline transport pilot and three passengers were not injured. The aircraft was operated under 14 CFR Part 91 by the pilot. Visual meteorological conditions existed at the time, and an instrument flight rules flight plan was filed for the personal flight. The flight originated in Columbia, South Carolina at 1330. The pilot reported the following: He landed the airplane on runway 27 following a normal approach. During the landing rollout, a gust of wind was encountered, which turned the aircraft sideways (toward the south). The aircraft departed the runway surface and ground looped. Structural damage to the right wing, right horizontal stabilizer, and right, main landing gear resulted. He reported no mechanical malfunction or failure with the aircraft. The Horace Williams Airport does not have weather reporting capability. The pilot estimated the winds at the time of the accident to be out of the south at 7 to 10 knots, with gusts to 15 knots. The Raleigh-Durham International Airport, located about 13 miles east-southeast of Horace Williams, was reporting surface winds from 230 degrees at 10 knots, with no gusts, about 20 minutes after the accident.
THE PILOT'S INADEQUATE COMPENSATION FOR WIND CONDITIONS, AND HIS FAILURE TO MAINTAIN DIRECTIONAL CONTROL DURING THE LANDING ROLL. FACTORS WERE THE CROSSWINDS AND GUSTS PREVAILING AT THE AIRPORT AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT.
Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database
Aviation Accidents App
In-Depth Access to Aviation Accident Reports
