Cessna 190 accident near Chattanooga, Tennessee, November 21, 2006
On November 21, 2006 at about 10:42 pm local time, a Cessna 190, registered N195AB, was substantially damaged in an accident near Chattanooga, Tennessee (Lovell Field). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain directional control on takeoff resulting in a collapse of the left main landing gear when the airplane swerved. A factor in the accident was wake turbulence from a landing airplane.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 21, 2006 · about 10:42 pm local time
- Place
- Chattanooga, Tennessee · Lovell Field · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 190 · all 190s on the register
- Registration
- N195AB · registry record · serial 7794
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was cleared for takeoff and was advised the winds were 360 degrees at 11 knots gusting to 19 knots. In addition the pilot was provided a wake turbulence caution for a regional jet that had just landed. The pilot taxied onto the runway and applied power to begin the takeoff roll. The tail of the airplane went to the right and the nose of the airplane went to the left. The pilot applied right rudder to correct and the airplane was slow to the correction. The pilot reduced power and the airplane moved back to the right. Before the airplane reached centerline of the runway, the pilot lost directional control of the airplane. The airplane went to the right and the left wing began to dip. The left main landing gear separated and the airplane came to a complete stop on the runway centerline. The pilot stated, "I believe the wake turbulence generated by the landing regional jet was transmitted back down the runway by the prevailing wind conditions, and the effect of the wake turbulence on the aircraft overrode my appropriate directional control inputs."
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot, private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,578 hours in all; 533 in this make and model; 41 in the last 90 days; 19 in the last 30 days; 1,482 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: May 1, 2006
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,944 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 1, 2006; 28 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,350 lb
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Jacobs R755-A2 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: KCHA Chattanooga TN at 10:42 pm
- Destination: KFTY Atlanta GA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 02, 7,401 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Wind: from 360° at 11 knots, gusting 19
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 46°F (8°C), dew point 41°F (5°C)
- Altimeter: 30.23 inHg
- Observation at 10:53 pm from KCHA
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.