- Date
- July 17, 2020, 08:00 local (14:00 UTC)
- Place
- Glenwood Springs, CO
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N86WMCessna 305
- Defining event
- Landing: Loss of control on ground
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration
- FAA report
- 20200717009159A
- Case key
- 101621
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 failure to maintain airplane control during landing resulting in a nose over.
Findings · 1
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 reported he was on a cross-country flight with a passenger. On approach, he followed an airplane established on a left downwind for the runway. The pilot extended the airplane's downwind to allow space for the landing airplane to clear the runway. The pilot elected to use the paved runway instead of the 800-ft grass landing area adjacent to the paved runway because of the clearing airplane. He subsequently lost directional control during the landing and the airplane exited the paved surface. A "juggle" of the pilot's feet on the rudder pedals occurred during the excursion, which resulted in "over braking" and the airplane subsequently nosed over. The airplane sustained substantial fuselage and empennage damage. The pilot indicated that there were no mechanical malfunctions during the flight and his safety recommendation was, "Never underestimate a tailwheel airplane!"
Aircraft
- Registration
- N86WM
- Reported as
- Cessna 305 (A)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 2017
- Built
- 1967
- Airframe hours
- 6,248
- Engine
- Continental PPA-O-470-50, 275 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · March 17, 2020
- Departed
- ASE · Aspen, CO
- Destination
- GWS · Glenwood Springs, CO
- Airport
- GWS · Glenwood Springs Muni, runway 32, 3,305 × 50 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- Handheld GPS, Stall warning system, Electronic primary flight display, ADS-B
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
- 60
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine sea, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- May 31, 2019
- Seat
- Front
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 7,857 total · 750 in this make and model · 6,782 as pilot in command · 47 in the last 90 days · 17 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 54 °F, dew point 43 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.40 inHg
- Observed at
- KEGE, 20 nm away
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on October 9, 2020, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 939 KB 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 N86WM · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.