- Date
- April 15, 1990, 16:00 local (23:00 UTC)
- Place
- Soledad, CA
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Aircraft
- N9394CCessna 180
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report November 9, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19900415010279A
- Case key
- 26779
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
Pilot's failure to maintain directional control during takeoff. Contributing factors were the gusty wind and the crosswind conditions.
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
During takeoff the pilot lost directional control of his conventional gear aircraft as its tail was raised off the ground. At the time the surface wind was from 180 degrees and was gusting to 15 KTS. The aircraft drifted off the left side of the rwy, entered rough uneven terain and nosed over.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N9394C
- Reported as
- Cessna 180
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 31792
- Engine
- Continental O-470 J1B, 225 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Michael A. Michaud
- Airport
- 53CA · Chalone Vineyard, runway 25, dirt
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
- 39
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Flight hours
- 284 total · 180 in this make and model · 208 as pilot in command · 8 in the last 90 days · 5 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 180° at 10 knots, gusting 15
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 64 °F, dew point -0 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.