# NTSB CHI97LA237: Cessna 182F, N3265U, Haviland, KS, July 23, 1997 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · No injuries · Limited investigation · Final report - Date: July 22, 1997, 23:15 local (Jul 23, 1997, 04:15 UTC) - Place: Haviland, KS - Coordinates: 37.610446, -99.099388 (estimated) - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=37.6104&lon=-99.0994&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Landing](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/550) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: No injuries - Injuries: 3 uninjured - Status: Completed, report December 15, 1997 - Report: Approved by Office Director - NTSB case key (mKey): 10653 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=CHI97LA237 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/10653/pdf - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CHI97LA237 ## 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 In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - On ground/water encounter with terrain/water, landing - roll - planning/decision - improper, pilot in command (cause) - light condition - bright night (contributing factor) - airport facilities,runway edge lights - inoperative (contributing factor) - landing light(s) - inoperative (contributing factor) - proper alignment - not obtained/maintained, pilot in command (cause) - visual/aural detection, pilot in command (contributing factor) ## 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](https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N3265U), registered now, S/N 18254665, built 1963 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: Cessna 182F - Registry model: [Cessna 182F](https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-182f) (registry code 2072714) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Continental O-470 series](https://openairdocs.org/engine/continental-o-470-series) (registry code 17026, reciprocating) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 18254665 - Airframe hours: 4097 - Engines: 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 ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; 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 (OpenAirDocs). - [Accident 19970722020459A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/19970722020459A), Jul 22, 1997: Cessna 182F, Haviland, KS, Substantial damage. (.4) 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… 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.