# NTSB LAX05CA219: Cessna 180A, N2929C, Big Bend, CA, June 29, 2005 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · Minor injuries · Data collection · Final report - Date: June 29, 2005, 08:45 local (15:45 UTC) - Place: Big Bend, CA - Coordinates: 41.052776, -121.966667 - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=41.0528&lon=-121.9667&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Approach](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/500) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: Minor injuries - Injuries: 1 minor - Status: Completed, report June 28, 2006 - Report: Approved by Office Director - Parties: Federal Aviation Administration - NTSB case key (mKey): 61890 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=LAX05CA219 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/61890/pdf - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/LAX05CA219 ## Probable cause the pilot misjudged his clearance altitude above the surface of the lake, resulting in a collision with water. ## Sequence of events In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - Undershoot, approach - vfr pattern - base leg/base to final - altitude/clearance - misjudged, pilot in command (cause) - In flight collision with terrain/water, approach - vfr pattern - base leg/base to final - terrain condition - water ## Analysis During a left turn to final, the airplane's left landing gear contacted the surface of a lake, causing the plane to settle into in the water and become submerged about 100 feet short of the landing area. The pilot reported that he had been using this private strip on the shore of a reservoir since 1965. He made several passes to check the condition of the unimproved area and noted that the lake level was higher than normal, which reduced the length of the landing area to about 600 feet. The pilot stated that the accident was caused by his failure to determine the proximity of the water surface. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane. ## Factual narrative On June 29, 2005, about 0845 Pacific daylight time, a Cessna 180A, N2929C, impacted water during a landing approach to an unimproved area at the Iron Canyon Reservoir, 4 miles northwest of Big Bend, California. The pilot-owner was operating the airplane under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 91. The commercial pilot, the sole occupant, sustained minor injuries; the airplane was substantially damaged. The personal cross-country flight departed Paradise, California, about 0800, en route to Big Bend. Day visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed. In a written statement, the pilot reported that he had been using this private strip on the shore of the Iron Canyon Reservoir since 1965. He made several passes to check the condition of the area and noted that the lake level was higher than normal, which reduced the length of the unimproved landing area to about 600 feet. The pilot stated that on his left turn to final, the left gear contacted the surface of the water. This resulted in the airplane submerging and eventually flipping over about 100 feet short of the landing area. The pilot stated that the accident was caused by his failure to determine the proximity of the water surface. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N2929C](https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N2929C), registered now, S/N 30829, built 1954 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: Cessna 180A - Registry model: [Cessna 180](https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-180) (registry code 2072602) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Continental O-470 series](https://openairdocs.org/engine/continental-o-470-series) (registry code 17026, reciprocating) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 30829 - Engines: Continental O-470A reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal - Departed: P40, Paradise, CA - Destination: Big Bend, CA - Airport: NONE, Iron Canyon Reservoir, runway 36, 800 × 40 ft, dirt ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 83; commercial; airplane ratings: single-engine land, multi-engine land; medical: class 3; flight hours: 1,705 total, 107 in this make and model, 3 in the last 90 days, 1 in the last 30 days, 1 in the last 24 hours ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: calm - Visibility: 50 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: none - Temperature: 70 °F - Altimeter: 29.90 inHg ## FAA reports on this event (1) The FAA's own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date (OpenAirDocs). - [Accident 20050629014669A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20050629014669A), Jun 29, 2005: Cessna 180, Redding, CA, Substantial damage. (-23) According to the pilot, he was landing on a dirt strip located near the shoreline of the iron canyon reservoir. During his final approach over the… ## Other investigations on N2929C (1) From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. - [NTSB WPR20CA233](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/WPR20CA233), Jul 20, 2020: Cessna 180 (N2929C), Bear Valley, AK, substantial damage. Probable cause: The pilot's over application of brakes during taxi, which resulted in a nose over. From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.