Probable cause
The pilot’s failure to maintain directional control during the landing roll.
NTSB analysis
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.
Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for CEN19LA108 for the full record.
Event
- Date
- Mar 23, 2019
- Type
- Accident
- Place
- Lafayette, Louisiana
- Nearest airport
- Lafayette Rgnl/Paul Fournet Fi (LFT)
- Highest injury
- None
- Weather
- Visual (VMC)
- Light
- Day
Cessna A185
- N-number
- N2744Q
- Category
- Airplane
- Year built
- 1978
- Damage
- Substantial
- Operating rule
- Part 91 (general aviation)
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
From the NTSB aviation accident database: N-registered aircraft, events since 2008, data through Oct 28, 2026. The file is published monthly, so the latest weeks are incomplete and recent records can change. The official source is the NTSB aviation investigation search. CheckAero is independent and not affiliated with the NTSB.