- Date
- July 22, 1997, 23:15 local (Jul 23, 1997, 04:15 UTC)
- Place
- Haviland, KS
- Injuries
- 3 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N3265UCessna 182F
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/bright
- Status
- Completed · report December 15, 1997
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19970722020459A
- Case key
- 10653
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 improper planning/decision and failure to obtain and/or maintain proper runway alignment during a night landing. Factors relating to the accident were: the airplane's inoperative landing lights, the airport's inoperative runway edge lights, and darkness, which prevented the pilot from adequately seeing the landing 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.
Analysis
The pilot was landing the airplane at night. He said that after the airplane was on the ground, it veered to the left. There was evidence that during the landing, the left main landing gear 'entered newly worked field.' After entering the field, the airplane came to a sudden stop, and the right wing struck the runway. 'When the nose gear entered the soft field, the propeller came in contact with the ground.' Investigation revealed that the airplane's landing light and the airport's runway lighting were inoperative.
Factual narrative
On July 22, 1997, at 2315 central daylight time (cdt), a Cessna 182F, N3265U, operated by a private pilot, sustained substantial damage when during landing on terrain along side an unlit grass strip, control of the airplane was lost. The airplane's nose gear dug into the dirt along side the airstrip and the airplane subsequently nosed over. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The personal flight was being conducted under 14 CFR Part 91. No flight plan was on file. There were no injuries reported by the pilot or the two passengers on board. The flight originated at Greeley, Colorado, at 1945 mountain daylight time (mdt), and was en route to Haviland, Kansas.
In his written statement, the pilot said that after the airplane was on the ground, it veered to the left. The left main landing gear "entered newly worked field." The soft field caused the airplane to come to a sudden stop causing the right wing to strike the runway. "When the nose gear entered the soft field, the propeller came in contact with the ground."
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector who examined the airplane said that the right wing forward spar, one foot inboard of the wing tip, was bent aft. The rear carry-through spar was bent in the middle. Numerous skin wrinkles were observed in the upper and lower surfaces of the right wing. The right side of the fuselage, aft of the cabin, was bent inward. The propeller blades were bent aft near the tips. Flight control continuity was confirmed. The airplane's landing light was found to be inoperative. No anomalies were found with the engine, engine controls or other airplane systems.
The FAA inspector also found that at the time of the accident, the airport's runway lighting was inoperative.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N3265U
- Reported as
- Cessna 182F
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 18254665
- Airframe hours
- 4,097
- Engine
- Continental O-470-R3B, 230 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Haviland Flying Service, LLC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · January 1, 1997 · 27 hours before
- Departed
- GXY · Greeley, CO
- Destination
- 26K
- Airport
- 26K · Gail Ballard, runway 17, 3,200 × 150 ft, grass/turf
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
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 252 total · 154 in this make and model · 223 as pilot in command · 7 in the last 90 days · 5 in the last 30 days · 5 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/bright
- Wind
- 150° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 1 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 75 °F, dew point 45 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.