No fatalities

Airplane Noses Over After Landing on Soft Dirt

Gateway, CO, United States

On August 2, 2009, a CESSNA 182P operated by JANZEN PAUL R was involved in an aviation accident near Gateway, CO. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The pilot's inability to maintain directional control due to soft runway conditions. This summary draws on records from NTSB; 12 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.

SourcesNTSBPrimary reportUpdated 2026-08-03Data APIEditorial standards

While landing on a dirt airstrip, the airplane's left main wheel encountered soft dirt, causing it to exit the runway. The nose gear sank and the airplane nosed over, coming to rest inverted. The pilot and two passengers exited unassisted.

Accident Overview

During a landing on a dirt airstrip, the airplane's left main wheel encountered soft dirt. This caused the aircraft to depart the side of the runway. Shortly after, the nose gear sank into soft terrain, leading the airplane to nose over. It came to rest in an inverted position.

Occupants and Egress

The pilot and two passengers were able to exit the airplane without assistance. No further details about their condition were provided.

Aircraft Examination

An examination of the airplane after the accident revealed that the vertical stabilizer had sustained structural damage. There were no reported problems with the airplane's flight controls.

Additional Information

No further information regarding the aircraft type, registration, operator, location, or the time of the accident was included in the source. The circumstances leading to the soft dirt condition were not specified.

Contributing factors

Attain/maintain not possibleEffect on equipment