- Date
- April 21, 2004, 17:10 local (23:10 UTC)
- Place
- Durango, CO
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N2861RCessna 182K
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 30, 2004
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- FAA FSDO
- FAA report
- 20040421007069A
- Case key
- 59100
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 inadequate in-flight planning and decision making. Contributing factors include the crosswind and the crosswind component exceeded.
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
During the landing on runway 20, the pilot encountered a gust of wind, drifting the airplane to the left and off of the runway. During the ground roll, the nose wheel stuck in the soft dirt, tearing the nose wheel off and tipping the airplane onto the left wing. substantially damaging the airplane. At 1653 the METAR (Routine Aviation Weather) reported the winds as 280 degrees at 13 knots with gusts to 22 knots. At 1707, a peak wind of 270 degrees at 30 knots was recorded. According to the Cessna Information Manual for the C182, the maximum demonstrated crosswind component is 18 knots. The calculated crosswind component varied from 12 knots to 29 knots.
Factual narrative
On April 21, 2004, at approximately 1710 mountain daylight time, a Cessna 182K, N2861R, was substantially damaged during the landing roll at Durango-La Plata Airport, Durango, Colorado. The private pilot, the sole occupant on board, was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed. No flight plan had been filed for the cross-country flight being conducted under the provisions of Title 14 CFR Part 91. The flight departed Ramona, California, at 1400.
According to the pilot, during the landing on runway 20, he encountered a gust of wind, causing the airplane to drift left off of the runway. During the ground roll, the nose wheel stuck in the soft dirt, tearing the nose wheel off and tipping the airplane onto the left wing. The left wing tip was crushed, the main carry-through spar was bent and the firewall was wrinkled.
At 1653 the METAR (Routine Aviation Weather) reported the winds as 280 degrees at 13 knots with gusts to 22 knots. At 1707, a peak wind of 270 degrees at 30 knots was recorded. According to the Cessna Information Manual for the C182, the maximum demonstrated crosswind component is 18 knots. The calculated crosswind component varied from 12 knots to 29 knots.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N2861R
- Reported as
- Cessna 182K
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 18258461
- Airframe hours
- 2,537
- Engine
- Continental IO-550-D, 300 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Robert E. Wolff
- Registered owner
- Hinnen James E. Trustee
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · July 24, 2003 · 109 hours before
- Departed
- RMN · Ramona, CA
- Destination
- DRO · Durango, CO
- Airport
- DRO · Durango La Plata County, runway 20, 9,201 × 150 ft, asphalt
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
- 52
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Last flight review
- January 1, 2004
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 616 total · 83 in this make and model · 541 as pilot in command · 4 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 280° at 13 knots, gusting 22
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 7,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 54 °F, dew point 21 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.78 inHg
- Observed at
- DRO, 1 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.
Other investigations on N2861R · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.