Cessna A185F accident near Arlington, Washington, September 8, 2021
On September 8, 2021 at about 6:30 pm local time, a 1977 Cessna A185F, registered N185BB, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (landing roll) near Arlington, Washington (Arlington Muni airport). It was an instructional 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).
Preview. This page is not yet listed for search engines.
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The fatigue fracture of the tailwheel fitting spring, which resulted in the loss of directional control during the landing roll.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 8, 2021 · about 6:30 pm local time
- Place
- Arlington, Washington · Arlington Muni · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna A185F, built 1977 · all A185Fs on the register
- Registration
- N185BB · registry record · serial 18503449
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The flight instructor of a tailwheel airplane was demonstrating a wheel landing to the pilot receiving instruction. The airplane touched down normally on its main landing gear, and, as the tailwheel touched down, the airplane veered to the right. The flight instructor attempted to correct back to the runway, but the airplane continued off the runway and ground looped to the right. The left wing and horizontal stabilizer sustained substantial damage. Examination of the airplane revealed the tailwheel fitting had separated near the weld gap between the fitting cross tube and the attachment brace. Metallurgical examination of the fracture surfaces identified corrosion pits where the fatigue cracks had initiated. The corrosion pits formed along the outer diameter surface of the tube within the gap against the brace, which created crevice corrosion. As a result of the crevice corrosion, the landing gear failed during the landing rollout, which caused the pilot to lose directional control of the airplane and subsequent ground loop.
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 landing (landing roll) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Nose/tail landing gear › Fatigue/wear/corrosion
- Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Nose/tail landing gear › Failure
Flight instructor
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 8,289 hours in all; 401 in this make and model; 53 in the last 90 days; 19 in the last 30 days; 8,084 as pilot in command; 4,521 on instruments
- Last flight review: September 30, 2020
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
Dual student
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Passenger
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 14,781.2 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 23, 2021; 2.9 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,350 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-550-D15B (piston); 2,071 hours total
- Operator: Mission Aviation Training Academy
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 16, 5,332 ft by 100 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 170° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 9,500 ft
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 52°F (11°C)
- Altimeter: 30.03 inHg
- Observation at 11:56 am from KAWO
Weather report (METAR): KAWO 081856Z AUTO 17008KT 10SM SCT095 23/11 A3003 RMK AO2 SLP171 T02330111
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 2 | |||
| Passengers | 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.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number WPR21LA339.