NTSB Factual Report

On February 13, 2004, at 1426 mountain standard time, a Cessna 185F, N4836Q, ground looped during the landing roll and departed the runway at the Falcon Field, Mesa, Arizona. The airplane was substantially damaged, and the commercial pilot was not injured. The pilot was operating the airplane under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed. The flight originated from the Deer Valley Airport, Phoenix, Arizona, about 1300.

The pilot reported that the mishap occurred while he was practicing touch-and-go takeoffs and landings on runway 22R. During his fifth or sixth landing rollout, as the groundspeed decreased to 10 miles per hour, the pilot looked down to set the trim. When he looked up, the airplane was turning right, and the left wing tip was "almost" touching the ground. The airplane then veered off the runway and the left wing impacted the ground. The pilot reported that no mechanical problems were experienced with the airplane.

The pilot stated that his total flying experience was about 264 hours, with the majority of the flight time in conventional gear airplanes. He had approximately 7 hours of flight time in this make and model of airplane, accumulating 2 hours in the last thirty days. To prevent similar accidents, the pilot recommended "not looking down, and flying the airplane until it stops."

According to the pilot, at the time of the accident the surface wind was from 310 degrees at 8 knots. The winds reported by the Falcon Field Aviation Routine Weather Report (METAR) at 1451 were from 300 at 6 knots.

NTSB Probable Cause

the pilot's inadequate compensation for the crosswind and his failure to maintain directional control, which resulted in an inadvertent ground loop. A factor in this accident was the pilot's diverted attention.