- Date
- December 13, 1998, 11:30 local (18:30 UTC)
- Place
- Glenwood Spring, CO
- Injuries
- 4 serious
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N9854CCessna 182RG
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report January 28, 2000
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19981213033329A
- Case key
- 45443
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 failure to maintain directional control. A contributing factor is his inadequate recovery from a bounced landing.
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 a full stop landing at the completion of a cross-country flight, the aircraft touched down nose wheel first and began to porpoise and oscillate in yaw. It exited the side of the runway and struck a chain link fence and pallet of natural gas pipe. No structural and/or system failure or malfunctions were found and the weather was clear skies with light and variable wind at 3 knots. The pilot had 24 hours total flight time in the accident aircraft make and model, and 4 hours in the last 90 days in make and model.
Factual narrative
On December 13, 1998, at 1130 mountain standard time, a Cessna 182RG, N9854C, sustained substantial damage when it departed the side of the runway during landing roll at Glenwood Springs Municipal Airport, Glenwood Springs, Colorado. The private pilot and his three passengers received serious injuries. The flight was a cross-country flight operating under Title 14 CFR Part 91 from Saint George, Utah, to Glenwood Springs, and a VFR flight plan was filed. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for this flight which originated approximately one and one half-hours prior to the accident.
According to a witness to the accident, the aircraft appeared to be low on final approach to landing and had to add power to make the runway. As the aircraft approached the runway, power appeared to be reduced and the nose dropped. The witness said the aircraft touched down nose wheel first and began to porpoise and oscillate in yaw. She said that it sounded like power was added before the aircraft exited the side of the runway.
Witness marks provided evidence that the aircraft departed the side of runway 32 approximately 1,700 feet down the runway from the approach end. It exited the left side of the runway on a heading of 294 degrees. The aircraft crossed approximately 350 feet of dirt and shrubs and collided with a chain link fence. It slid down the fence 50 feet where it collided with a pallet loaded with approximately 2 tons of steel natural gas pipe. The top rail of the chain link fence, a pipe about 2 inches in diameter, penetrated the aircraft. It came through under the instrument panel, and exited out the left rear side window.
Examination of the aircraft provided no evidence of structural or system failure or malfunction.
According to the pilot's logbook, he had 105 total flight hours with 24 hours in the accident aircraft make and model and 4 hours in the last 90 days in make and model.
Weather conditions at the time were reported to be clear skies with light and variable wind at 3 knots.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N9854C
- Reported as
- Cessna 182RG
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- R18200472
- Airframe hours
- 4,772
- Engine
- Lycoming O-540-J3C5D, 235 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Gerald T. Burk
- Registered owner
- Glenwood Aviation, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · November 30, 1998 · 22 hours before
- Departed
- SGU · Saint George, UT
- Destination
- GWS
- Flight plan
- VFR
- Airport
- GWS · Glenwood Springs, runway 32, 3,305 × 50 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
- 37
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 105 total · 24 in this make and model · 50 as pilot in command · 19 in the last 90 days · 3 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Variable at 3 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 37 °F, dew point 19 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- RIL, 27 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 N9854C · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.