- Date
- August 13, 1999, 18:00 local (Aug 14, 1999, 00:00 UTC)
- Place
- Gillette, WY
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N7939VCessna 180H
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report November 2, 2000
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19990813047399A
- Case key
- 47099
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 inadvertent ground loop during landing roll.
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 said he called the tower for airport advisories when he was 10 to 12 miles north of the airport. He was given a straight in to runway 16, but he didn't remember hearing the wind direction or its velocity. He did perform a left cross wind landing, but as he touched the runway the airplane 'weather vaned to the left.' The subsequent ground loop damaged the right wing tip and dorsal fin. The pilot stated that the surface winds were in excess of 30 knots from his left rear. He said the flags at the terminal were flying straight out. The official recorded winds for Gillette-Campbell County Airport at 1755 were clear skies with winds 080 degrees at 10 knots.
Factual narrative
On August 13, 1999, approximately 1800 mountain daylight time, a Cessna 180H, N7939V, was substantially damaged during landing roll at Gillette-Campbell County Airport, Gillette, Wyoming. The private pilot, the sole occupant on board, was not injured. The airplane was being operated by the owner under Title 14 CFR Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the cross-country personal flight which originated at Havre, Montana. No flight plan was filed.
The pilot said he called the tower for airport advisories when he was 10 to 12 miles north of the airport. He was given a straight in to runway 16, but he didn't remember hearing the wind direction or its velocity. He did perform a left cross wind landing, but as he touched the runway the airplane "weather vaned to the left." The subsequent ground loop damaged the right wing tip and dorsal fin.
The pilot stated in his written statement that the surface winds were in excess of 30 knots from his left rear. He said the flags at the terminal were flying straight out. The official recorded winds for Gillette-Campbell County Airport at 1755 were clear skies with winds 080 degrees at 10 knots.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N7939V
- Reported as
- Cessna 180H
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 18051839
- Airframe hours
- 5,977
- Engine
- Continental O-470-S, 230 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- David D. Tredway
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · January 18, 1999 · 28 hours before
- Departed
- HVR · Havre, MT
- Destination
- GCC
- Airport
- GCC · Gillette-Campbell County, runway 16, 7,500 × 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
- 57
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 2,000 total · 1,800 in this make and model · 1,900 as pilot in command · 30 in the last 90 days · 30 in the last 30 days · 7 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 80° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 81 °F, dew point 52 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- GCC
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 N7939V · 3
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.