What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
On December 13, 1997, at 1200 hours pacific standard time, the pilot of a Cessna 180H, N123LJ, made a hard landing and veered off runway 08 at the Santa Ynez, California, airport. The aircraft sustained substantial damage. The owner/pilot and a pilot-rated passenger were not injured. Visual meteorolgical conditions existed for the personal flight that originated from the van nuys, California, airport at 1100. An offical of the airport, who was a witness to the accident, reported that the pilot made left traffic for runway 08, which has a published right-hand traffic pattern due to noise abatement procedures. The witness observed the winds to be from approximately 130 degrees gusting to approdximately 30-35 knots. The pilot stated to the witness that he made repeated attempts to contact UNICOM for airport advisories, but was unable to receive a response. It was reported to the witness that the person who was monitoring UNICOM received the pilots transmissions and made repeated attempts to provide airport advisories to the pilot. A Cessna 210 was in the pattern for landing behind the accident aircraft and heard the repeated attempts by the pilot to contact UNICOM, and unicoms subsequent attempts to respond to the pilot. According to the witness, the pilot of the Cessna 210 elected not to land at the airport due to the airport advisories that UNICOM had broadcast. After the accident, the pilot reported to the witness that he would not have attempted to land at the airport had he been able to receive airport advisories from UNICOM. The pilot reported that the flight from van nuys to Santa Ynez was uneventful. He overflewthe airport and checked the windsock, noting that the winds were at a direct 90(-23) pilot landed/lost contro during 25-30 knot direct x-wind. Ground looped-damaged left wing and left main gear.
As the FAA filed it
ON DECEMBER 13, 1997, AT 1200 HOURS PACIFIC STANDARD TIME, THE PILOT OF A CESSNA 180H, N123LJ, MADE A HARD LANDING AND VEERED OFF RUNWAY 08 AT THE SANTA YNEZ, CALIFORNIA, AIRPORT. THE AIRCRAFT SUSTAINED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE. THE OWNER/PILOT AND A PILOT-RATED PASSENGER WERE NOT INJURED. VISUAL METEOROLGICAL CONDITIONS EXISTED FOR THE PERSONAL FLIGHT THAT ORIGINATED FROM THE VAN NUYS, CALIFORNIA, AIRPORT AT 1100. AN OFFICAL OF THE AIRPORT, WHO WAS A WITNESS TO THE ACCIDENT, REPORTED THAT THE PILOT MADE LEFT TRAFFIC FOR RUNWAY 08, WHICH HAS A PUBLISHED RIGHT-HAND TRAFFIC PATTERN DUE TO NOISE ABATEMENT PROCEDURES. THE WITNESS OBSERVED THE WINDS TO BE FROM APPROXIMATELY 130 DEGREES GUSTING TO APPRODXIMATELY 30-35 KNOTS. THE PILOT STATED TO THE WITNESS THAT HE MADE REPEATED ATTEMPTS TO CONTACT UNICOM FOR AIRPORT ADVISORIES, BUT WAS UNABLE TO RECEIVE A RESPONSE. IT WAS REPORTED TO THE WITNESS THAT THE PERSON WHO WAS MONITORING UNICOM RECEIVED THE PILOTS TRANSMISSIONS AND MADE REPEATED ATTEMPTS TO PROVIDE AIRPORT ADVISORIES TO THE PILOT. A CESSNA 210 WAS IN THE PATTERN FOR LANDING BEHIND THE ACCIDENT AIRCRAFT AND HEARD THE REPEATED ATTEMPTS BY THE PILOT TO CONTACT UNICOM, AND UNICOMS SUBSEQUENT ATTEMPTS TO RESPOND TO THE PILOT. ACCORDING TO THE WITNESS, THE PILOT OF THE CESSNA 210 ELECTED NOT TO LAND AT THE AIRPORT DUE TO THE AIRPORT ADVISORIES THAT UNICOM HAD BROADCAST. AFTER THE ACCIDENT, THE PILOT REPORTED TO THE WITNESS THAT HE WOULD NOT HAVE ATTEMPTED TO LAND AT THE AIRPORT HAD HE BEEN ABLE TO RECEIVE AIRPORT ADVISORIES FROM UNICOM. THE PILOT REPORTED THAT THE FLIGHT FROM VAN NUYS TO SANTA YNEZ WAS UNEVENTFUL. HE OVERFLEWTHE AIRPORT AND CHECKED THE WINDSOCK, NOTING THAT THE WINDS WERE AT A DIRECT 90(-23) PILOT LANDED/LOST CONTRO DURING 25-30 KNOT DIRECT X-WIND. GROUND LOOPED-DAMAGED LEFT WING AND LEFT MAIN GEAR.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.