No fatalities

5 Jul 2009: CESSNA 180 — La Grande, OR

La Grande, OR, United States

On 5 Jul 2009, a CESSNA 180 was involved in an aviation accident near La Grande, OR. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The pilot's inadequate compensation for the wind conditions and failure to maintain directional control. 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 reported losing control during takeoff after encountering severe wind shear at an uncontrolled airport, causing the airplane to veer off the runway and nose over.

Incident Overview

A pilot reported that after observing another airplane approach and land on runway 30 at an uncontrolled airport, he proceeded to take off on the same runway. According to the pilot, the windsock indicated that the wind was nearly dead calm at the time.

Sequence of Events

During the takeoff roll, as the airplane accelerated to approximately 35 miles per hour, the pilot encountered what he described as a "severe wind shear." This sudden wind shift lifted the left wing and wheel off the ground. Despite the pilot's efforts to counteract the effect, he lost control of the airplane. He subsequently aborted the takeoff. The wind continued to push the airplane sideways, causing it to swerve off the runway. After leaving the paved surface, the airplane encountered soft dirt and nosed over onto its back.

Pilot Account

The pilot provided the details of the event, noting that the wind shear was unexpected given the calm conditions indicated by the windsock. He stated that his attempts to maintain directional control were unsuccessful, leading to the runway excursion and eventual nose-over.

Contributing factors

Causes

PilotResponse/compensationDirectional control — Not attained/maintained

Other contributing factors

Effect on operation