- Date
- March 13, 2016, 15:15 local (19:15 UTC)
- Place
- South Burlington, VT
- Injuries
- 1 serious, 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Aircraft
- N9925NCessna 180
- Defining event
- Takeoff: Loss of control on ground
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 3, 2016
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20160313002419A
- Case key
- 92836
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 airplane control during takeoff roll, which resulted in a nose over.
Findings · 3
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 of the tailwheel-equipped airplane reported that during takeoff roll the airplane encountered a gust of wind from the left side. He said that he "dipped" the left wing in an attempt to counter the wind gust but lost control of the airplane, flipped over nose first and impacted the runway. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the vertical stabilizer. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation.
Factual narrative
The pilot of the tailwheel-equipped airplane reported that during takeoff roll the airplane encountered a gust of wind from the left side. He said that he "dipped" the left wing in an attempt to counter the wind gust but lost control of the airplane, flipped over nose first and impacted the runway. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the vertical stabilizer. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N9925N
- Reported as
- Cessna 180 (J)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 18052580
- Built
- 1975
- Airframe hours
- 2,694
- Engine
- Cont Motor O-470 SERIES, 230 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Chamberlin Paul D
- Registered owner
- Chamberlin Paul D
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · August 6, 2015 · 34 hours before
- Departed
- BTV · South Burlington, VT
- Destination
- PVT · Underhill, VT
- Airport
- BTV · Burllington, runway 01, 4,112 × 75 ft, concrete
- Equipment
- Electronic primary flight display, Auto-pilot, ADS-B
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
- 70
- Injuries
- Serious
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- April 14, 2015
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 5-point
- Flight hours
- 1,299 total · 870 in this make and model · 1,180 as pilot in command · 5 in the last 90 days · 3 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 300° at 11 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 25,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 48 °F, dew point 45 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.14 inHg
- Observed at
- BTV
Docket · 4
The files NTSB released with the investigation on April 28, 2016, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 638 KB 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.
Other investigations on N9925N · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.