- Date
- April 17, 2012, 11:55 local (15:55 UTC)
- Place
- Abingdon, VA
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N180BACessna 180J
- Defining event
- Landing-landing roll: Loss of control on ground
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 13, 2012
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties
- FAA Charleston FSDO
- FAA report
- 20120417006609A
- Case key
- 83408
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 passenger’s inadvertent blockage of the rudder pedals, which resulted in the pilot’s inability to maintain directional control during the landing roll.
Findings · 2
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The pilot stated that he made a visual approach for landing at his destination airport. He flared the airplane, and it touched down on the runway. The airplane started to veer to the left as he began to apply brakes. He attempted to apply right rudder, but the rudder would not move because his passenger had inadvertently stretched his legs out and blocked the rudder pedals. The airplane continued off the left side of the runway and collided with a ditch. The airplane sustained structural damage to the left wing and the fuselage. The pilot stated that he did not experience any preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operations.
Factual narrative
The pilot stated he made a visual approach for landing at his destination airport. He flared the airplane and touched down on the runway. The airplane started to veer to the left as he began to apply brakes. He attempted to apply right rudder, but the rudder would not move. His passenger had inadvertently stretched his legs out and blocked the rudder pedals. The airplane continued off the left side of the runway and collided with a ditch. He completed an emergency shutdown. He and his passenger exited the airplane without injury. The airplane sustained structural damage to the left wing and the fuselage. The pilot stated he did not experience any pre-accident mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operations.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N180BA
- Reported as
- Cessna 180J
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 18052419
- Airframe hours
- 4,495
- Engine
- Cont Motor TSIO-520 E, 265 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Sanford William W
- Registered owner
- Sanford William W
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · May 24, 2011 · 22 hours before
- Departed
- OMH · Orange, VA
- Destination
- VJI · Abingdon, VA
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- VJI · Virginia Highlands Airport, runway 06, 4,471 × 75 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
- 62
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- August 11, 2011
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 3,375 total · 960 in this make and model · 3,375 as pilot in command · 24 in the last 90 days · 2 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 70° at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 10,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 68 °F, dew point 46 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.27 inHg
- Observed at
- VJI
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on July 13, 2012, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 3.6 MB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.