No fatalities

7 Jun 2008: Cessna 180 — Jerorme Eckrich — Eveleth, MN

Eveleth, MN, United States

On 7 Jun 2008, a Cessna 180 operated by Jerorme Eckrich was involved in an aviation accident near Eveleth, MN. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The pilot elected to land on a grass airstrip that was unsuitable for landing due to the wet, soft runway conditions. The wet, soft runway were factors. This summary draws on records from NTSB; 12 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.

SourcesNTSBPrimary reportUpdated 1778583330Data APIEditorial standards

A pilot landed on a grass airstrip after verifying its condition the day prior, but overnight rain had softened the ground, causing the main landing gear to sink and the airplane to nose over.

Accident Details

The pilot of an airplane reported that he contacted the fixed base operator the day before the accident to inquire about the condition of the grass airstrip. He was told that other airplanes had departed and landed on the strip during that day. On the morning of the accident, the pilot again called the fixed base operator, but no one answered the phone.

Unaware that rain had fallen at the airstrip overnight, the pilot decided to visually inspect the strip before landing. He overflew the grass airstrip and did not observe any standing water or signs of soft ground. Based on this assessment, he proceeded to land on the grass strip.

The Accident Sequence

During the landing roll, the main landing gear encountered a wet, soft area of the airstrip. The gear sank into the softened ground, causing the airplane to nose over. The aircraft came to rest in an inverted or nose-down position.

Post-Accident Information

The investigation did not specify the aircraft type, registration, date, operator, location, number of occupants, or extent of injuries. The report focused on the conditions of the airstrip and the pilot's lack of awareness of the overnight rain.

Contributing factors

Causes

Awareness of condition

Other contributing factors

Contributed to outcome