- Date
- January 22, 1997, 12:00 local (18:00 UTC)
- Place
- Valentine, TX
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N19694Cessna 180K
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report August 25, 1997
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19970122046839A
- Case key
- 20153
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 attain the proper touchdown point, and the excessive airspeed during the approach and landing. A factor was the dirt bank paralleling the airstrip.
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 reported that he was landing on a 1,500-foot private dirt airstrip in the bottom of a canyon. The airstrip was dogleg shaped, turning approximately 30 degrees at the midpoint, with parallel dirt banks on both sides. The pilot further reported that he landed long and was 'too fast for the turn in the strip.' The airplane exited the left side of the airstrip and impacted the dirt bank.
Factual narrative
On January 22, 1997, at 1200 central standard time, a Cessna 180K, N19694, was substantially damaged following a loss of control while landing on a private airstrip near Valentine, Texas. The private pilot, the sole occupant of the airplane, was not injured. The airplane was registered to and operated by a private owner under Title 14 CFR Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the personal cross country flight which originated from El Paso International Airport, El Paso, Texas. A flight plan was not filed.
The pilot reported during two telephone conversations with the investigator-in-charge that he was landing on a 1,500 foot private dirt airstrip in the bottom of a canyon. The airstrip was dog-leg in shape, turning approximately 30 degrees at the mid-point, with parallel dirt banks on both sides. The pilot further reported that he landed long and was "too fast for the turn in the strip." The tailwheel equipped airplane exited the left side of the airstrip and impacted the dirt bank. The left main gear was separated from the fuselage, and the outer one-third of the left wing was bent upward.
Numerous attempts to obtain a completed Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1/2, were unsuccessful.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N19694
- Reported as
- Cessna 180K
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 18053179
- Engine
- Continental O-470-R, 265 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Malcolm Mcgregor
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- ELP · El Paso, TX
- Destination
- NONE · TX
- Airport
- NONE · Private Ranch
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
- 68
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Expired
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 1,500 total
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 180° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 61 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.