- Date
- January 30, 1994, 18:20 local (Jan 31, 1994, 02:20 UTC)
- Place
- Watsonville, CA
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Aircraft
- N21106Cessna 182
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report November 14, 1994
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19940130001119A
- Case key
- 28649
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 inadequate preflight inspection by failing to remove the pitot tube cover and delay in his remedial action by not beginning to stop the airplane until it was about 1,000 feet before the end of the runway. The soft terrain and the collapsed nose landing gear are factors in this accident.
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 failed to remove the pitot tube cover before departing on the dark night accident flight. The pilot noticed that the airspeed was not registering until the airplane was near the end of the runway. Tire skid marks began 1,042 feet before the end of the runway. The airplane exited the runway and the nose gear collapsed when it entered the soft clay terrain. The airplane nosed over onto its back.
Factual narrative
On January 30, 1994, at 1820 hours Pacific standard time, a Cessna 182, N21106, overran runway 20 and nosed over during the takeoff roll at Watsonville Airport (WVI), Watsonville, California. The pilot was beginning a night visual flight rules personal flight to San Martin Airport (Q99), San Martin, California. The airplane, registered to and operated by the pilot, sustained substantial damage. Neither the certificated private pilot nor his passenger was injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed.
The pilot reported in a telephone interview conducted on January 31, 1994, that the airspeed did not register during the takeoff roll and he elected to abort the takeoff. However, the remaining runway was insufficient to stop the airplane on the runway environment. The airplane exited the departure end of the runway. The nose gear collapsed when the airplane entered the soft clay terrain and the airplane nosed over onto its back.
The pilot further said that the engine was producing the required takeoff power. His post accident inspection of the airplane revealed that he did not remove the pitot tube cover during the preflight inspection.
In addition, the pilot submitted the required Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1/2. He reiterated his telephone statement in the report. He added, however, that he began to abort the takeoff with about 3,800 feet of runway remaining.
Mr. James Friel, principal operations inspector, Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), San Jose [California] Flight Standards District Office, conducted the on-scene investigation. Inspector Friel reported that the airplane's tire skid marks began about 1,042 feet before the end of the runway. The pilot also told him that he did not remove the pitot tube cover before departing.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N21106
- Reported as
- Cessna 182
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 18261417
- Airframe hours
- 5,332
- Engine
- Continental O-470-R, 230 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Schwab, Paul/Barbara
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · February 13, 1993 · 98 hours before
- Departed
- WVI
- Destination
- Q99 · San Martin, CA
- Airport
- WVI · Watsonville Municipal, runway 20, 4,501 × 150 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
- 57
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 1,297 total · 748 in this make and model · 1,196 as pilot in command · 11 in the last 90 days · 1 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- 200° at 3 knots
- Visibility
- 25 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 55 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.