N185RW – Cessna A185E – 2006-06-06 NTSB Accident Report

On June 06, 2006, a Cessna A185E (N185RW) was involved in an incident near Turner, ME. All 1 person aboard were uninjured. The aircraft sustained substantial damage.

The National Transportation Safety Board determined the probable cause of this incident to be: The pilot's failure to obtain the proper touchdown point, resulting in a runway undershoot, and substantial damage to the airplane.

The pilot elected to land with a tailwind, on a turf runway that was adjacent and perpendicular to a riverbank. With the Cessna 185 configured for landing, and just prior to touchdown, the airplane experienced an increase in descent rate due to "either an increase in the tailwind or a downdraft." The airplane struck the face of the runway below the landing surface, collapsing the right main landing gear, and resulting in substantial damage. The pilot did not report any mechanical deficiencies of the airplane, and when asked how the accident could have been prevented stated, "carried more airspeed to counter the effect of [the] possible increased tailwind."

This incident is documented in NTSB report NYC06CA140. AviatorDB cross-references NTSB investigation data with FAA registry records to provide comprehensive safety information for aircraft N185RW.