Cessna A188B accident near Bishop, California, July 16, 2005
On July 16, 2005 at about 10:40 pm local time, a Cessna A188B, registered N731GE, was substantially damaged in an accident near Bishop, California (Eastern Sierra Regional airport). It was a positioning flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the failure of the tailwheel mount during the landing roll, which resulted in a ground loop.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 16, 2005 · about 10:40 pm local time
- Place
- Bishop, California · Eastern Sierra Regional · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna A188B · all A188Bs on the register
- Registration
- N731GE · no longer on the register · serial 18802878T
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Positioning flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The tail wheel equipped airplane experienced a failure and separation of the tailwheel during the landing roll, which resulted in a ground loop. The pilot reported that the landing was normal but the airplane began to drift to the right shortly after touching down. He applied left rudder input to correct, but the airplane continued to drift to the right. He applied additional left rudder to no avail and a "violent tail wheel shimmy developed." The pilot reduced aft elevator control in an attempt to reduce the load on the tailwheel, but the shimmy became violent, and he had trouble keeping his feet on the rudder pedals. The pilot then heard a loud bang and the aircraft made a sudden turn to the left. The airplane ground looped and came to rest upright. The Federal Aviation Administration inspector who examined the airplane following the event reported that the tailwheel failed at its mount area but the control cables remained attached to their respective steering horns.
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: airline transport pilot, flight instructor
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: helicopter; instructor: instrument airplane; instructor: instrument helicopter; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: glider; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 26,612 hours in all; 4 in this make and model; 82 in the last 90 days; 31 in the last 30 days; 24,252 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: June 1, 2004
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: sngl
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,644.9 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 1, 2005; 20 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,300 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520-D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Yerington NV at 9:50 pm
- Destination: BIH Bishop CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 16, 5,600 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 106°F (41°C), dew point 32°F (0°C)
- Altimeter: 29.92 inHg
- Observation at 10:56 pm from BIH
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
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.
Other NTSB records under N731GE 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.