- Date
- October 14, 1989, 16:45 local (20:45 UTC)
- Place
- Niagara Falls, NY
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Aircraft
- N7930VCessna 180H
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report January 23, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19891014040359A
- Case key
- 36569
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 loss of directional control during takeoff roll due to strong wind gusts.
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
At the run-up area, the pilot had delayed his takeoff until the wind subsided checking with ground control every few minutes for wind direction & velocity. When the wind had subsided he initiated the takeoff. He was given the wind as 350 at 16 KTS by the tower. During the takeoff ground run directional control became impossible to maintain and the airplane ran off the right side of the rwy into soft turf collapsing the left main gear. The control tower reported that a strong wind gust occurred prior to rotation. The 1647 winds were reported as 010 at 25 KTS, gusting 33 KTS.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N7930V
- Reported as
- Cessna 180H
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 18051830
- Airframe hours
- 1,812
- Engine
- Continental O-470R, 230 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Richard A. Fuller
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Unknown · January 28, 1989 · 60 hours before
- Departed
- IAC · Niagara Falls, NY
- Airport
- IAG · Niagara Falls, runway 6, 5,056 × 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
- 47
- Certificates
- Airline transport, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Flight hours
- 20,000 total · 60 in this make and model · 8,000 as pilot in command · 173 in the last 90 days · 77 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 10° at 25 knots
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 2,800 ft broken
- Temperature
- -0 °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.