N6857D

On July 3, 2006, at 1003 mountain daylight time, a Cessna 195, N6857D, was substantially damaged during a ground loop event while attempting to depart from Great Falls International Airport, Great Falls, Montana. The airline transport pilot and his passenger were not injured. The pilot/owner was operating the flight under Title 14 CFR Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the personal cross-country flight which was originating at the time. The pilot had filed a visual flight rules (VFR) flight plan.

The pilot said that as he taxied onto the runway, the wind was variable "seeming to come from all quadrants." He applied power slowly as he lined up on the center line; he had about 30 percent power on when the airplane started veering to the right. The pilot said that full left rudder and tapping the left brake did not change the course. As the airplane approached the edge of the runway, the left main landing gear folded under the fuselage and the aircraft settled onto the runway. The left main landing gear damaged the bottom of the fuselage, the engine mount was damaged, and the outboard four feet of the left wing was bent up.