# NTSB SEA00LA072: Cessna A185F, N78DE, Wallowa, OR, April 4, 2000 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · No injuries · Limited investigation · Final report - Date: April 4, 2000, 14:00 local (21:00 UTC) - Place: Wallowa, OR - Coordinates: 45.560333, -117.500015 (estimated) - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=45.5603&lon=-117.5000&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Approach](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/500) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: No injuries - Injuries: 2 uninjured - Status: Completed, report May 9, 2001 - Report: Approved by Office Director - NTSB case key (mKey): 48947 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=SEA00LA072 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/48947/pdf - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/SEA00LA072 ## Probable cause The pilot's failure to maintain proper runway alignment upon encountering a wind gust, and his subsequent failure or inability to maintain clearance with a tree during a go-around attempt. Factors included a short and narrow airstrip, gusty wind conditions, and a tree in the vicinity of the airstrip. ## Sequence of events In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - In flight collision with object, go-around (vfr) - airport facilities,runway/landing area condition - short runway/landing area (contributing factor) - airport facilities,runway/landing area condition - narrow (contributing factor) - weather condition - gusts (contributing factor) - proper alignment - not maintained, pilot in command (cause) - inadequate recurrent training, pilot in command - object - tree(s) (contributing factor) - clearance - not maintained, pilot in command (cause) - In flight collision with terrain/water, descent - uncontrolled ## Analysis The pilot indicated he was landing to the west on his private airstrip, an 1,800- by 40-foot, east-west strip with trees and elevated terrain adjacent to both sides. The pilot reported that prior to landing, he noted westerly winds at an estimated 20-25 knots. He stated that during the landing, at approximately 10 feet above ground level (AGL) and 60 knots indicated airspeed (KIAS), 'a wind gust lifted the aircraft and moved it to the north side of the runway.' The pilot stated he banked left in order to avoid striking his hangar (on the northeast side of the airstrip), then initiated a go-around. During the go-around attempt, the aircraft's right wing struck a tree on the south side of the airstrip at approximately 75 feet AGL, and the aircraft crashed. The pilot furnished evidence that he had undergone a checkout by a flight instructor in the accident aircraft about 6 weeks prior to the accident, but did not furnish any evidence of a current flight review signoff. ## Factual narrative On April 4, 2000, a Cessna A185F, N78DE, was substantially damaged when it collided with a tree and subsequently impacted terrain during an aborted landing attempt at a private airstrip near Wallowa, Oregon. The private pilot-in-command of the aircraft, who owned the aircraft and the airstrip, was not injured in the accident. A passenger aboard the aircraft was also uninjured. Visual meteorological conditions were reported in the accident area, and no flight plan had been filed for the 14 CFR 91 personal flight from a private airstrip near McDermitt, Nevada. The pilot reported that his airstrip, which is 1,800 feet long and 40 feet wide, runs in a generally east-west direction, with trees and elevated terrain adjacent to the north and south sides. The pilot reported that upon arrival on the accident flight, the wind sock at the airstrip indicated westerly winds at an estimated 20 to 25 knots. He stated that on final approach, which he flew with full flaps, "there did not appear to be any cross wind component and the aircraft was stabilized." The pilot stated: At approximately 10 feet AGL [above ground level], with a touchdown IAS [indicated airspeed] of approximately 60 knots, a wind gust lifted the aircraft and moved it to the north side of the runway. I immediately banked left and applied approximately 1/3 full power to lift the right wing in order to avoid striking my hanger [sic] which sets on the northeast side of the airstrip. Once clear, I immediately added full power to abort the landing and go around. However, the combination of left bank, wind and resulting yaw effect from full power, did not provide me with adequate time or distance to avoid striking the upper one-third section of a pine tree on the south side of the airstrip. My right wing leading edge struck the pine tree at approximately 75 feet AGL and the aircraft nosed over into terrain. The pilot's attorney stated that the pilot had reported to him that he was "first certificated in approximately 1976 and stopped flying in 1988." The pilot's attorney stated that the pilot's logbook documenting his pilot time through 1998, which he stated contained the pilot's high performance and tailwheel endorsements, had been misplaced, but that the pilot's total time through 1998 was 422 hours. The pilot's attorney reported that the pilot resumed flying in October 1998, and purchased the accident aircraft on or about February 18, 2000. The pilot's total flight time was reported as 499 hours including 15 hours in make and model (all of which were within the 90 days preceding the accident.) The pilot furnished logbook evidence with his NTSB accident report that he had undergone a checkout in the Cessna 185 by a flight instructor on February 18, 2000. Neither the pilot nor his attorney furnished any evidence of a current flight review signoff (per 14 CFR 61.56), and the pilot's NTSB accident report gave the date of his last flight review as "Unknown." FAA records indicate that the pilot's private certificate was issued on September 29, 1997, and that his last FAA medical examination prior to the accident was on September 8, 1997. The pilot was 61 years old at the time of the accident. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N78DE](https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N78DE), registered now, S/N 18503701 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: Cessna A185F - Registry model: [Cessna 185](https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-185) (registry code 2072802) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 18503701 - Airframe hours: 3195 - Engines: Continental IO-520-D 300 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Registered owner: David W. Howell - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal - Last inspection: Annual, February 18, 2000, 15 hours before - Departed: MCDERMITT, NV - Airport: runway 27, 1,800 × 40 ft, grass/turf ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 61; private; airplane ratings: single-engine land; medical: class 3, expired; seat: left; flight hours: 499 total, 283 in this make and model, 45 in the last 90 days, 6 in the last 30 days, 5 in the last 24 hours ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: 270° at 25 knots - Visibility: 12 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: none - Temperature: 50 °F ## 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 20000404010949A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20000404010949A), Apr 4, 2000: Cessna 185, Wallowa, OR, No damage. (-23) The pilot was attempting to land on a private airstrip in crosswind conditions. The a/c went off the side of the runway, striking a tree. The a /c was… 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.