- Date
- June 13, 1991, 11:45 local (16:45 UTC)
- Place
- Wausa, NE
- Injuries
- 1 serious, 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N1721CCessna 180
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 31, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19910613021709A
- Case key
- 15094
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 turn around after encountering IFR flight conditions. Factors were restricted forward visibility and power lines.
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.
Analysis
The pilot said that he encountered IFR flight conditions while on a personal VFR cross country flight. He attempted to make a precautionary landing on what he believed to be an airstrip. The aircraft collided with power lines, then the terrain. This resulted in substantial airframe damage and serious injuries to the passenger. What the pilot believed to be an airstrip was a bypass between two rural roads.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N1721C
- Reported as
- Cessna 180
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 30421
- Engine
- Continental O-470-K, 230 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Delmar/Clara Lemons
- Departed
- K61 · Beloit, KS
- Destination
- YKN · Yankton, SD
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
- 77
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Flight hours
- 2,898 total · 2,300 in this make and model · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Wind
- 200° at 12 knots, gusting 25
- Visibility
- 12 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 13,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- -0 °F, dew point -0 °F
- Observed at
- OFK, 30 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.