- Date
- June 19, 2006, 21:15 local (Jun 20, 2006, 02:15 UTC)
- Place
- Coupland, TX
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N42656Cessna 182L
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night
- Status
- Completed · report October 3, 2006
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- San Antonio, Texas
- Case key
- 63933
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 disorientation. Contributing factors were the prevailing night light condition and the inoperative landing light.
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 568-hour commercial pilot was returning to a private airstrip for a night landing after releasing parachute jumpers. According to the Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident Report (NTSB Form 6120.1/2) the aircraft's landing light was inoperative so in an attempt to identify the unlit grass runway, the pilot flew over the area several times to try to find the airstrip. On the third pass the pilot believed to be over the runway and proceed with an approach to land. During the initial landing roll, the airplane's right landing gear struck a fence which resulted in the aircraft abruptly veering to the right and impacting the ground. There was no fire and the pilot was able to egress the airplane unassisted. The FAA inspector, who responded to the accident scene, reported that the pilot missed the airstrip and he found the aircraft resting in a livestock field located approximately mid field and 150 feet to the right of the airstrip centerline.
Factual narrative
The 568-hour commercial pilot was returning to a private airstrip for a night landing after releasing parachute jumpers. According to the Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident Report (NTSB Form 6120.1/2) the aircraft's landing light was inoperative so in an attempt to identify the unlit grass runway, the pilot flew over the area several times to try to find the airstrip. On the third pass the pilot believed to be over the runway and proceed with an approach to land. During the initial landing roll, the airplane's right landing gear struck a fence which resulted in the aircraft abruptly veering to the right and impacting the ground. There was no fire and the pilot was able to egress the airplane unassisted. The FAA inspector, who responded to the accident scene, reported that the pilot missed the airstrip and he found the aircraft resting in a livestock field located approximately mid field and 150 feet to the right of the airstrip centerline.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N42656
- Reported as
- Cessna 182L
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 18259127
- Airframe hours
- 9,059
- Engine
- Continental O-470-R, 230 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Skydiving · Part 91
- Operator
- Cindy Gibson, doing business as Texas Skydiving Center
- Registered owner
- Tim Brown
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · April 1, 2006
- Departed
- TE75 · Lexington, TX
- Destination
- KXWN · Coupland, TX
- Airport
- TE96 · Crosswinds Airfield, runway TE9, 2,650 × 80 ft, grass/turf
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
- 36
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Private, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1
- Last flight review
- December 1, 2005
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 568 total · 91 in this make and model · 450 as pilot in command · 95 in the last 90 days · 91 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 9,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 90 °F, dew point 68 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.94 inHg
- Observed at
- KAUS