Cessna A185 accident near Lafayette, Louisiana, March 23, 2019
On March 23, 2019 at about 9:06 pm local time, a 1978 Cessna A185, registered N2744Q, was substantially damaged in an accident during taxi (from runway) near Lafayette, Louisiana (Lafayette Rgnl/Paul Fournet Fi airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 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 during the landing roll.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 23, 2019 · about 9:06 pm local time
- Place
- Lafayette, Louisiana · Lafayette Rgnl/Paul Fournet Fi · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna A185 F, built 1978 · all A185s on the register
- Registration
- N2744Q · no longer on the register · serial 18503528
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot, who was the owner of the airplane, stated that the flight was uneventful and that the touchdown and rollout was "smooth" until he began to turn the airplane off the runway onto the taxiway. At that time, the right brake "grabbed very hard" and the airplane ground looped, resulting in substantial damage to the left aileron and left wing structure. Postaccident examination of the brakes revealed no mechanical malfunctions or anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. The circumstances of the accident are consistent with the pilot’s failure to maintain directional control during the landing roll.
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
What happened, in order
- Loss of control on ground during taxi (from runway) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Directional control › Not attained/maintained
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 8,962 hours in all; 250 in this make and model; 50 in the last 90 days; 15 in the last 30 days; 8,600 as pilot in command; 1,000 on instruments
- Last flight review: November 17, 2018
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
Co-pilot
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,353.7 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 18, 2018; 0.4 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,350 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520-D-90B (piston); 3,354 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: BTR Baton Rouge LA
- Destination: LFT Lafayette LA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 22L, 8,000 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 6,000 ft; scat at 4,500 ft
- Temperature: 88°F (31°C), dew point 72°F (22°C)
- Altimeter: 30.07 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 2 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
4 documents, released by the NTSB on September 9, 2021. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 11 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Pilot and Passenger Statements | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Memorandum of Record for FAA Exam | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 4 | Photographs of Damages to Airplane | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Other NTSB records under N2744Q the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.