No fatalities

Pilot Overruns Remote Airstrip After Bump Disrupts Braking

Enterprise, OR, United States

On September 24, 2009, a CESSNA 182 operated by HOPE AVIATION LLC was involved in an aviation accident near Enterprise, OR. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The pilot's failure to stop his airplane before it departed the end of the unimproved remote airstrip. 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

During a group landing at an unimproved airstrip, a pilot in an airplane with different performance characteristics ran off the runway and hit a ditch after a bump compromised braking. The pilot later regretted not making a better decision.

Accident Details

The pilot was flying as part of a five-airplane group that was landing at a series of unimproved remote airstrips. Upon arrival at the third airstrip, three airplanes made successful landings. The accident pilot, however, was operating an airplane with slightly different performance characteristics than the other three. He was unable to stop before running off the end of the runway and impacting a ditch.

Contributing Factors

The excursion was contributed to by the airplane bouncing off a bump during the landing roll, which momentarily compromised the pilot's braking actions.

Pilot Statement

After the accident, the pilot, who had not been into the subject airstrip before, stated that he should have made a better decision and not assumed that because the other three pilots landed successfully he could too.

Contributing factors

Causes

Capability exceededPilot

Other contributing factors

Effect on operationContributed to outcome