MIA02LA088

NTSB accident investigation · Cessna 180 · Canton, MS · April 21, 2002

Accident · No injuriesLimited investigationFinal report
Date
April 21, 2002, 14:20 local (19:20 UTC)
Place
Canton, MS
Injuries
2 uninjured
Damage
Substantial damage
Phase of flight
Landing
Aircraft
N180CWCessna 180
Status
Completed · report August 26, 2002
Report
Approved by Office Director
Parties
FAA
FAA report
20020421005659A
Case key
54564

From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.

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Probable cause

the pilot's failure to maintain directional control after landing which resulted in the airplane departing the runway, and the subsequent impact with a ditch.

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.

On ground/water encounter with terrain/waterLanding - roll
Directional control - not maintainedPilot in commandCause
Weather condition - crosswind
Terrain condition - ditch

Analysis

According to the pilot the airplane touched down on the first 20 percent of a 3,000-foot runway, rolled about 1,000 feet, at 20 knots of ground speed, and began to drift to the right. The pilot attempted to correct the situation by applying full left rudder and braking, however he could not correct the right turn. The airplane turned about 120 degrees before the right main landing gear dropped into a ditch, and the left wing made contact with a gravel road. The pilot estimated that at the time of the accident "the cross wind component was "8 knots."

Factual narrative

On April 21, 2002, about 1420 central daylight time, a Cessna 180, N180CW, registered to and operated by an individual, struck a ditch during the ground roll after landing at a private airstrip near Canton, Mississippi. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time. No flight plan was filed for the 14 CFR Part 91 personal flight. The airplane was substantially damaged. The private-rated pilot, and one passenger reported no injuries. The flight had departed from Lakeview, Arkansas, about 1200.

According to the pilot the duration of the flight was 2.3 hours, and "uneventful until landing roll out. He said the airplane touched down on the first 20 percent of a 3,000-foot runway. After rolling about 1,000 feet at "20 knots of ground speed," the airplane began to drift to the right. He attempted to correct the situation by applying full left rudder and braking; however, he was "unable to correct the steadily increasing right turn." The airplane turned about 120 degrees before the right main landing gear "dropped" into a ditch, and the left wing made contact with a gravel road. The pilot estimated that at the time of the accident "the cross wind component was "8 knots."

Aircraft

Registration
N180CW
Reported as
Cessna 180
Category
Airplane
Serial number
31438
Airframe hours
4,954
Engine
Continental O-470K, 230 horsepower, reciprocating
Damage
Substantial damage
Flight
Personal · Part 91
Airworthiness certificate
Standard, Normal
Last inspection
Annual · April 5, 2002 · 5 hours before
Departed
3MO · Lakeview, AR
Destination
Canton, MS
Airport
NONE · Follin Field (PVT), runway 9, 3,000 × 100 ft, grass/turf

Flight crew

As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.

Role
Pilot
Age
56
Injuries
None
Certificates
Commercial, Airline transport
Airplane ratings
Multi-engine land, Single-engine land, Single-engine sea
Instrument ratings
Airplane
Medical
Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
Last flight review
May 14, 2000
Seat
Left
Flight hours
13,000 total · 495 in this make and model · 6,000 as pilot in command · 40 in the last 90 days · 5 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours

Weather

Wind
190° at 7 knots
Visibility
10 statute miles
Lowest ceiling
25,000 ft overcast
Temperature
82 °F, dew point 64 °F
Altimeter
29.95 inHg
Observed at
JAN

Docket · 2

The files NTSB released with the investigation on July 29, 2002, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 378 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.