ANC96LA058

NTSB accident investigation · Cessna 180H · Palmer, AK · April 27, 1996

Accident · No injuriesLimited investigationFinal report
Date
April 27, 1996, 08:00 local (16:00 UTC)
Place
Palmer, AK
Injuries
2 uninjured
Damage
Substantial damage
Phase of flight
Approach
Aircraft
N91304Cessna 180H
Weather
Visual (VMC) · Day
Status
Completed · report December 16, 1996
Report
Approved by Office Director
NTSB office
Alaska Regional Office
FAA report
19960427008859A
Case key
2830

From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.

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Probable cause

The pilot-in-command's inadvertent stall during the go around attempt. Factors in the accident were the pilot-in- command's lack of a high performance endorsement and the pilot/passenger's decision to allow the pilot-in-command to manipulate the controls during the landing in an off airport area.

Sequence of events

NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.

Dragged wing,rotor,pod,float or tail/skidGo-around (vfr)
Stall - inadvertentPilot in commandCause
QualificationPilot in commandFactor
Improper decisionPilot passengerFactor

Analysis

The owner of the airplane allowed the pilot to manipulate the controls during the approach, attempted landing, and go around attempt. The pilot stated he did not feel comfortable with the approach so he initiated a go around. The right wing dropped and the right wing and the right main landing gear struck the ground. The airplane spun to the right and stopped. The pilot manipulating the controls did not have a high performance endorsement. The owner, also the passenger, was a certificated private pilot and had a high performance endorsement.

Factual narrative

On April 27, 1996, at 0800 Alaska daylight time, a wheel equipped Cessna 180 airplane, N91304, registered to Bill Hall of Palmer, Alaska, and operated by the pilot, struck the ground with the right main landing gear and the right wing during a go-around attempt at an off airport landing site located 4 miles west of the Knik Glacier near Palmer. The personal flight, operating under 14 CFR Part 91, departed Goose Bay, Alaska, and the destination was the location of the accident site. No flight plan was filed and visual meteorological conditions prevailed. The certificated private pilot and the certificated private pilot/passenger, were not injured. The airplane received substantial damage.

During a telephone conversation with the pilot on April 27, 1996, he stated that the owner of the airplane picked him up at the Goose Bay Airport, Goose Bay, Alaska. The pilot said he boarded the airplane and became the sole manipulator of the controls during the subsequent flight, landing, and go-around attempt. The pilot stated that during the approach he felt uncomfortable and he added power to begin a go-around. The right wing dropped and the airplane's right main gear and the right wing struck the ground simultaneously.

The pilot did not have a high performance endorsement, however, the passenger, also a certificated pilot and the aircraft owner, had a high performance endorsement.

Aircraft

Registration
N91304
Reported as
Cessna 180H
Category
Airplane
Serial number
18052040
Engine
Continental O-470-R, 239 horsepower, reciprocating
Damage
Substantial damage
Flight
Personal · Part 91
Operator
Richard Greeno
Registered owner
William H. Hall
Airworthiness certificate
Standard, Normal
Last inspection
Annual · May 12, 1995
Departed
Z40 · Goose Bay, AK
Destination
Knik Glacier, AK

Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

Flight crew

As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.

Role
Pilot
Age
43
Certificate
Private
Airplane ratings
Single-engine land
Medical
Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
Seat
Left
Flight hours
1,600 total · 4 in this make and model · 1,600 as pilot in command

Weather

Conditions
Visual (VMC) · Day
Wind
90° at 15 knots
Visibility
50 statute miles
Lowest ceiling
None
Temperature
45 °F

FAA reports on this event · 1

The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.

Other investigations on N91304 · 4

Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.