# NTSB DEN04LA135: Cessna 180, N727DG, Buena Vista, CO, September 6, 2004 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · No injuries · Limited investigation · Final report - Date: September 6, 2004, 15:30 local (21:30 UTC) - Place: Buena Vista, CO - Coordinates: 38.813331, -106.120002 - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=38.8133&lon=-106.1200&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Landing](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/550) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: No injuries - Injuries: 3 uninjured - Status: Completed, report June 8, 2005 - Report: Approved by Office Director - Parties: Denver Flight Standards District Office - NTSB case key (mKey): 60061 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=DEN04LA135 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/60061/pdf - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/DEN04LA135 ## Probable cause The pilot's failure to maintain directional control. Contributing to the accident was the gusty winds and the dirt devil encountered by the aircraft. ## Sequence of events In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - On ground/water encounter with weather, landing - roll - weather condition - gusts (contributing factor) - weather condition - dust devil/whirlwind (contributing factor) - Loss of control - on ground/water, landing - roll - directional control - not maintained, pilot in command (cause) - ground loop/swerve - encountered, pilot in command - On ground/water encounter with terrain/water - terrain condition - runway ## Analysis According to the pilot, he was landing on runway 33 when the airplane encountered a "dust devil." Subsequently, the airplane ground looped, coming to rest on the right side of the runway causing substantial damage. A postaccident examination of the airplane systems, conducted by the FAA, revealed no anomalies. Winds in the area were reported as 320 at 11 knots with gusts to 14 knots. ## Factual narrative On September 6, 2004, at approximately 1530 mountain daylight time, a Cessna 180, N727DG, piloted by an airline transport pilot, was substantially damaged when it impacted terrain during the landing roll at Central Colorado Regional Airport, Buena Vista, Colorado. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The personal flight was being conducted under the provisions of Title 14 CFR Part 91 without a flight plan. The pilot and his two passengers reported no injuries. The cross-country flight had originated at Leadville, Colorado, at 1500. According to the accident report submitted by the pilot, he was landing on runway 33 when the airplane encountered a "dust devil." Subsequently, the airplane ground looped, coming to rest on the right side of the runway. The left wing and the left horizontal stabilizer were bent. A postaccident examination of the airplane's systems, conducted by the FAA, revealed no anomalies. Winds at Leadville, Colorado, 25 nautical miles northwest of Buena Vista, were reported as 320 at 11 knots with gusts to 14 knots. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N727DG](https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N727DG), registered now, S/N 31710, built 1955 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: Cessna 180 - Registry model: [Cessna 180](https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-180) (registry code 2072602) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Continental O-470 series](https://openairdocs.org/engine/continental-o-470-series) (registry code 17026, reciprocating) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 31710 - Engines: Continental O-470 230 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal - Last inspection: Annual, December 15, 2003, 60 hours before - Departed: LXV, Leadville, CO - Destination: 7V1, Buena Vista, CO - Airport: 7V1, Buena Vista Municipal Airport, runway 33, 8,300 × 75 ft, asphalt ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 61; injuries: none; flight engineer, airline transport, commercial, military; airplane ratings: multi-engine sea, single-engine land, multi-engine land, single-engine sea; instrument ratings: airplane; medical: class 3, valid medical--no waivers/lim.; seat: left; flight hours: 20,000 total, 1,146 in this make and model, 40 in the last 90 days, 1 in the last 24 hours ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: 320° at 11 knots, gusting 14 - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: none - Temperature: 63 °F, dew point 25 °F - Altimeter: 30.43 inHg - Observed at: LXV, 25 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 (OpenAirDocs). - [Accident 20040906022929A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20040906022929A), Sep 6, 2004: Cessna 180, Buena Vista, CO, Substantial damage. (-23) On September 6, 2004 a Cessna CE-180, N727DG landing runway 33, 7V1 Buena Vista ground looped shortly after touch down. The PIC holds an ATP rating and… 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.