# NTSB CEN18LA250: Cessna 180, N2469C, Lago Vista, TX, July 2, 2018 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · No injuries · Limited investigation · Final report - Date: July 1, 2018, 20:10 local (Jul 2, 2018, 01:10 UTC) - Place: Lago Vista, TX - Coordinates: 30.498611, -97.969444 (estimated) - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=30.4986&lon=-97.9694&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Landing](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/550) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Defining event: [Landing-flare/touchdown: Sys/Comp malf/fail (non-power)](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/330) - Highest injury: No injuries - Injuries: 2 uninjured - Status: Completed, report November 6, 2019 - Report: Approved by Office Director - NTSB office: Central Region - Parties: Federal Aviation Administration - NTSB case key (mKey): 97673 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=CEN18LA250 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/97673/pdf - NTSB docket: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=97673 - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN18LA250 ## Probable cause The separation of the left main landing gear spring during landing due to a preexisting fatigue crack. ## Findings NTSB's coded findings; those marked are part of the probable cause. - [Landing gear system: main landing gear](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01023210): Aircraft › Aircraft systems · Failure (probable cause); cases with it: [Cessna 180, 2 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01023210/cases.md?model=2072602), [All aircraft, 241 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01023210/cases.md) - [Landing gear system: main landing gear](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01023210): Aircraft › Aircraft systems · Fatigue/wear/corrosion (probable cause); cases with it: [Cessna 180, 2 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01023210/cases.md?model=2072602), [All aircraft, 241 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01023210/cases.md) ## Sequence of events The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event best describes what happened. - [Landing-flare/touchdown: Miscellaneous/other](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/900); cases with it: [Cessna 180, 7 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/900/sequence.md?model=2072602), [All aircraft, 1,556 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/900/sequence.md) - [Landing-flare/touchdown: Hard landing](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/092); cases with it: [Cessna 180, 2 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/092/sequence.md?model=2072602), [All aircraft, 2,102 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/092/sequence.md) - [Landing-flare/touchdown: Sys/Comp malf/fail (non-power)](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/330) (defining event); cases with it: [Cessna 180, 8 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/330/sequence.md?model=2072602), [All aircraft, 994 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/330/sequence.md) - [Landing-flare/touchdown: Loss of control on ground](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/230); cases with it: [Cessna 180, 80 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/230/sequence.md?model=2072602), [All aircraft, 4,585 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/230/sequence.md) - [Landing-flare/touchdown: Part(s) separation from AC](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/338); cases with it: [Cessna 180, 1 case](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/338/sequence.md?model=2072602), [All aircraft, 563 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/338/sequence.md) - [Landing-flare/touchdown: Collision with terr/obj (non-CFIT) ](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/470); cases with it: [Cessna 180, 54 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/470/sequence.md?model=2072602), [All aircraft, 10,189 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/470/sequence.md) ## Analysis The airline transport pilot was conducting a personal flight when the airplane rolled left during the landing flare and then landed hard on the left main landing gear (MLG). The airplane bounced and landed hard and then bounced again on the left MLG. The left MLG spring separated from the fuselage on the third contact with the runway. The airplane subsequently ground looped to the left and came to rest heading about 180° from the original runway direction. The left main wing spar was substantially damaged when the left wingtip impacted the runway. Postaccident materials examination of the fractured left MLG spring revealed a multiple-origin fatigue crack where the landing gear fixation hardware contacted the landing gear spring. The maintenance logbooks were not complete; therefore, it could not be determined if the left MLG spring had been replaced or overhauled since new. The separation of the left MLG gear spring during landing was likely due to the fatigue crack that reduced the overall strength of the landing gear spring. ## Factual narrative On July 1, 2018, about 2010 central daylight time, a Cessna 180 single-engine airplane, N2469C, was substantially damaged while landing at Rusty Allen Airport (RYW), Lago Vista, Texas. The airline transport pilot and passenger were not injured. The airplane was registered to and operated by the pilot under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. Day visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the personal flight that departed Childress Municipal Airport (CDS), Childress, Texas, about 1740 with RYW as the intended destination.According to the pilot, the surface wind was from 120° magnetic at 7 knots, gusting 17 knots, when he entered the traffic pattern for runway 15 at RYW. He noted that the wind direction became variable between 090° magnetic and 170° magnetic while the airplane was on the downwind leg. The pilot made a normal approach for three-point landing with a left crosswind correction; however, the airplane rolled left during the landing flare and landed hard on the left main landing gear. The pilot reported that the airplane bounced and that he was unable to regain roll control before the airplane landed hard again on the left main landing gear. The airplane bounced a second time and the left main landing gear spring separated from the fuselage on the third contact with the runway. The airplane subsequently ground-looped to the left and came to rest heading about 180° from the original runway direction. The left main wing spar was substantially damaged when the left wingtip impacted the runway. The fractured left main landing gear spring was examined by the National Transportation Safety Board Materials Laboratory to determine if preexisting damage had contributed to its separation during the accident. The laboratory examination revealed a fracture surface that exhibited a relatively flat surface with a distinct shear lip along the periphery. Further examination of the fracture surface revealed a chevron pattern indicating the direction of crack propagation from a thumbnail shaped initiation point. The location of the fatigue crack was adjacent to where the landing gear fixation hardware contacted the landing gear spring. The initiation point exhibited features consistent with a multiple-origin fatigue crack. The approximate dimension of the fatigue crack was 0.14 inch wide and 0.04 inch deep. The pilot stated that the airplane logbooks are not complete; however, there was no documented work on the left landing gear since the logbooks began in 1993. Based on the available information, the pilot estimated that the airplane had accumulated a total service time of about 4,101 hours. Based on a lack of complete maintenance documentation, it is unknown if the left main landing gear spring had been replaced or overhauled since new. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N2469C](https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N2469C-2022-04-22), registration cancelled 2022-04-22, S/N 30769, built 1954 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: Cessna 180 - Registry model: [Cessna 180](https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-180) (registry code 2072602) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Continental O-470 series](https://openairdocs.org/engine/continental-o-470-series) (registry code 17026, reciprocating) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 30769 - Year built: 1954 - Airframe hours: 4101 - Engines: Continental O-470-J 225 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal - Last inspection: Annual, April 23, 2018, 37 hours before - Departed: CDS, Childress, TX - Destination: RYW, Lago Vista, TX - Airport: RYW, Rusty Allen Airport, runway 15, 3,808 × 50 ft, asphalt - Equipment: Electronic flight bag or handheld device, Angle of attack indicator, ADS-B, Stall warning system, Satellite tracking device, Onboard weather, Handheld GPS, Electronic primary flight display ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 73; injuries: none; airline transport; airplane ratings: multi-engine land, single-engine land; instrument ratings: airplane; medical: class 2, with waivers/limitations; last flight review January 29, 2018; seat: left; restraint: 4-point; flight hours: 16,267 total, 270 in this make and model, 14,749 as pilot in command ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: 150° at 9 knots, gusting 16 - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: none - Temperature: 91 °F, dew point 61 °F - Altimeter: 29.95 inHg - Observed at: RYW ## FAA reports on this event (1) The FAA's own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date (OpenAirDocs). - [Accident 20180702024979A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20180702024979A), Jul 2, 2018: Cessna 180, Lago Vista, TX, Substantial damage. After a flight of 2 pluse hours to his final destination. He set up for landing on runway 15. Winds were said to be 7 gusting 14. Variable 090-170, the pilot… ## Docket (3 files) The files NTSB released with the investigation on April 4, 2019, on NTSB's docket system: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=97673. 1.3 MB in all. - Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 (item 1, .PDF, 920 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40471657&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Pilot%2FOperator%20Aircraft%20Accident%20Report,%20NTSB%20Form%206120.1-Master.PDF - Memorandum of Conversation (James D Smith) (item 2, .PDF, 77 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40471658&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Memorandum%20of%20Conversation%20(James%20D%20Smith)-Master.PDF - NTSB Materials Laboratory Report No. 18-071 (item 3, .PDF, 320 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40471659&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=NTSB%20Materials%20Laboratory%20Report%20No.%2018-071-Master.PDF From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.