Cessna 195A accident near Jackson, Michigan, April 18, 2005
On April 18, 2005 at about 3:55 pm local time, a Cessna 195A, registered N1082D, was substantially damaged in an accident near Jackson, Michigan (Jackson County Airport). It was an instructional 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 fracture of the left brake master cylinder piston rod, which resulted in the total failure of the left-side brake system and the subsequent loss of directional control during landing roll. An additional cause was the encountered ground-loop.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 18, 2005 · about 3:55 pm local time
- Place
- Jackson, Michigan · Jackson County Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 195A · all 195As on the register
- Registration
- N1082D · registry record · serial 7694
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The tailwheel-equipped airplane ground-looped during the landing rollout. The pilot reported that a "normal approach and landing" was made and that "control was lost" at approximately 40 knots during the landing rollout. The pilot stated that the airplane "ground looped to the right." The pilot reported that, "Proper control inputs and operation were utilized until control surface [rudder authority] became ineffective." The pilot stated that the tailwheel steering "did not seem to work" and that use of asymmetric braking "had no effect." The pilot reported that "negligible wind conditions" prevailed. The runway contained a faint tire-track mark 336 feet in length curving toward the right, consistent with being left by the left main landing gear. The airplane traveled an additional 57 feet after the left main landing gear had separated from the fuselage. The left main landing gear spring fractured due to higher than normal side loads experienced during the ground-loop encounter. The tailwheel assembly was inspected after the accident and no anomalies were found with the strut, wheel, or steering linkages. The piston-rod for the left brake master cylinder was found fractured in two portions. The rod fractured at the mid-span snap ring grove. The master cylinder cover was deformed downward, adjacent to the center hole where the rod passed through the cover.
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
Flight instructor
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: glider; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 2,392 hours in all; 0 in this make and model; 79 in the last 90 days; 30 in the last 30 days; 2,280 as pilot in command; 1,490 on instruments
- Last flight review: November 1, 2004
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rear
- Injury: no injuries
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 12,144 hours in all; 9 in this make and model; 0 in the last 90 days; 0 in the last 30 days; 8,668 as pilot in command; 335 on instruments
- Last flight review: October 1, 2002
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,821 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 1, 2004; 6.4 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,350 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Jacobs R755B-2 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: JXN Jackson MI at 2:45 pm
- Destination: JXN Jackson MI
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 14, 3,501 ft by 100 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 48°F (9°C)
- Altimeter: 30.13 inHg
- Observation at 3:56 pm from JXN
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.