- Date
- August 27, 2011, 14:00 local (19:00 UTC)
- Place
- Grand Marais, MN
- Injuries
- 4 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Aircraft
- N9011TCessna 182C
- Defining event
- Takeoff: Loss of control in flight
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report November 3, 2011
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration
- FAA report
- 20110827019799A
- Case key
- 81623
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 delayed decision to land the airplane when he realized the airplane's performance was insufficient to clear approaching terrain during the initial climb after takeoff. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's inadequate preflight planning.
Findings · 3
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 local scenic flight departed from a lake in a southeasterly direction and the wind was reported at 8 knots from the south-southeast. Shortly after becoming airborne, while approximately 100 feet above ground level, the pilot noted that the airplane's airspeed was not increasing as he expected and that the airplane was not climbing. In an attempt to increase airspeed and ultimately gain altitude, the pilot lowered the nose but the airspeed did not increase. Due to terrain ahead of the airplane, the pilot attempted a landing on the remaining lake area. During the attempted landing, the airplane's floats contacted terrain, which was located between the main lake and a bay, and the airplane nosed over. A postaccident examination of the airplane showed substantial damage to both wings and the fuselage; no airframe or engine anomalies were noted. The pilot estimated his weight and balance at the gross weight limit and reported that he could have increased his safety margins by using all available back-taxi distance and more conservative abort points.
Factual narrative
The local scenic flight departed from a lake in a southeasterly direction, and the wind was reported at 8 knots from the south/southeast. Shortly after becoming airborne to approximately 100 feet above ground level, the pilot noted the airplane's airspeed was not increasing as he expected, and the airplane was not climbing. In an attempt to increase airspeed and ultimately gain altitude, the pilot lowered the nose, but the airspeed did not increase. Due to the terrain ahead of the airplane, the pilot attempted a landing on the remaining lake area. During the attempted landing, the airplane's floats contacted terrain, which was located between the main lake and a bay, and the airplane nosed over. Postaccident examination of the airplane showed substantial damage to the both wings and the fuselage, and no airframe or engine anomalies were noted. The pilot estimated his weight and balance at the gross weight limitation and reported he could have increased his safety margins by using all available back-taxi distance and more conservative abort points.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N9011T
- Reported as
- Cessna 182C
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 52911
- Airframe hours
- 5,165
- Engine
- Cont Motor O-470 SERIES, 230 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Other work use · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · August 3, 2011
- Departed
- 0G5 · Grand Marais, MN
- Destination
- 0G5 · Grand Marais, MN
- Airport
- runway 09, water
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
- 52
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine sea, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- September 8, 2009
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 1,250 total · 800 in this make and model · 1,145 as pilot in command · 72 in the last 90 days · 30 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 160° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 70 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.12 inHg
Docket · 1
The files NTSB released with the investigation on September 16, 2011, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 3.0 MB in all.
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 N9011T · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.