- Date
- September 2, 2012, 15:30 local (23:30 UTC)
- Place
- Kenai, AK
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N67178Cessna 180
- Defining event
- Landing-landing roll: Nose over/nose down
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 19, 2012
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- Parties
- FAA FSDO-03
- Case key
- 84921
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The pilot's selection of unsuitable terrain for landing, which resulted in a nose over.
Findings · 2
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The pilot was landing a tailwheel-equipped airplane on a remote, unimproved airstrip. During the landing roll, the main landing gear struck a concealed tree stump, and the airplane nosed over, sustaining substantial damage to the wings and fuselage. There were no reported preaccident mechanical anomalies with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Factual narrative
The pilot was landing a tailwheel-equipped airplane on a remote unimproved airstrip. During the landing roll the main landing gear struck a concealed tree stump, and the airplane nosed over, sustaining substantial damage to the wings and fuselage. There were no reported mechanical anomalies with the airplane prior to the accident.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N67178
- Reported as
- Cessna 180
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 32112
- Airframe hours
- 5,941
- Engine
- Cont Motor O-470 SERIES, 225 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Garret Van Horne
- Registered owner
- Dotson David L
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · July 1, 2012
- Departed
- PAMR · Anchorage, AK
- Destination
- Kenai, AK
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 54
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Flight engineer, Commercial, Flight instructor, Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine sea, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- July 7, 2012
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 11,800 total · 90 in this make and model · 20 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 25 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 70 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.89 inHg
Docket · 1
The files NTSB released with the investigation on October 27, 2012, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 1.2 MB in all.