- Date
- November 28, 2023, 16:40 local (Nov 29, 2023, 00:40 UTC)
- Place
- Modesto, CA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N9991NCessna 180J
- Defining event
- Landing-landing roll: Nose over/nose down
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Western Pacific Region
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20231128018989A
- Case key
- 193447
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 failure of the pilot to maintain directional control of the airplane during landing, which resulted in a nose over.
Findings · 3
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The pilot reported that while landing in a tailwind, he lost directional control on the tail wheeled airplane, and it veered to the left. Subsequently, the main gear exited the runway surface and resulted in the airplane nosing over. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the vertical stabilizer and left-wing strut. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N9991N
- Reported as
- Cessna 180J
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 18052646
- Built
- 1975
- Airframe hours
- 5,800
- Engine
- Continental O-470, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Continuous airworthiness · October 31, 2023
- Departed
- MYF · San Diego, CA
- Destination
- Same as departure
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- MOD · Modesto City-County-Harry Sham Fld, runway 10L/28R, 5,904 × 150 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- ADS-B, Auto-pilot, Electronic primary flight display
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
- 80
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- January 28, 2023
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 2,615 total · 2,500 in this make and model · 20 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 140° at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 63 °F, dew point 34 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.06 inHg
- Observed at
- KMOD
- METAR
- KMOD 282353Z COR 14004KT 10SM CLR 17/01 A3006 RMK AO2 SLP179 T01670006 10178 20083 56018
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on January 10, 2024, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 8.8 MB 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.