7 Jun 2014: CESSNA 180H

7 Jun 2014: CESSNA 180H (N91399) — Unknown operator

No fatalities • Wasilla, AK, United States

Probable cause

The pilot’s failure to maintain directional control during landing and an attempted go-around, which resulted in collision with terrain.

— NTSB Determination

Accident narrative

On June 7, 2014, about 1315 Alaska daylight time, a tailwheel-equipped Cessna 180H airplane, N91399, sustained substantial damage while landing at the Wasilla Airport, Wasilla, Alaska. The airplane was being operated by the pilot as a visual flight rules (VFR) flight under the provisions of Title 14, CFR Part 91, when the accident occurred. The certificated private pilot was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed.

During a telephone conversation with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigator-in-charge (IIC) on June 7, the pilot stated that the airplane's main landing gear wheels were not tracking true on his last flight, and exhibited a left turning tendency on the ground. The airplane had recently undergone maintenance, and the main landing gear had been realigned before the accident flight.

The pilot reported that on his third landing, upon touchdown, the airplane turned sharply to the left. He attempted a go-around, but the airplane continued to veer to the left, off the runway surface, exited the runway safety area, and impacted the upslope of a drainage ditch. The left main landing gear separated from the fuselage, and the airplane sustained substantial damage to the gear box, left wing, ailerons, left horizontal stabilizer and left elevator.

A postaccident examination of the airplane by the NTSB IIC and another NTSB investigator revealed that the main landing gear shim bolts were in place, but the main landing gear attachment bolt had broken. The bolts fractured surfaces and surrounding area revealed fracture features and deformation patterns consistent with a ductile overstress fracture.

The examination of the airframe and engine revealed no evidence of mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation.

The closest weather reporting facility is Wasilla Airport. At 1316, an aviation routine weather report (METAR) at Wasilla, Alaska, reported: wind, calm; visibility, 10 statute miles; few clouds at 7,500 feet; overcast clouds at 8,500 feet; temperature, 59 degrees F; dew point 37 degrees F; altimeter, 29.69 inHG.

Contributing factors

  • cause Pilot
  • cause Directional control — Not attained/maintained
  • Contributed to outcome

Conditions

Weather
VMC, vis 10sm

Loading the flight search…

What you can do on Flight Finder

  • Search flights between any two airports with live fares.
  • By aircraft — pick a plane model (e.g. Boeing 787, Airbus A350) and see every route it flies from your origin.
  • Route map — click any airport worldwide to explore its destinations, or draw a radius to find nearby airports.
  • Global aviation safety — aviation accident database, 5,200+ records since 1980, with map and rankings by aircraft and operator.
  • NTSB safety feed — recent U.S. aviation accidents and incidents from the official NTSB CAROL database, updated daily.

Frequently asked questions

How do I search flights by aircraft type on FlightFinder?

Pick an aircraft model — Boeing 737, Airbus A320, A380, Boeing 787 Dreamliner and more — enter your origin airport, and FlightFinder shows every route that plane flies from there with live fares.

Which aircraft types can I filter by?

We support Boeing 737/747/757/767/777/787, the full Airbus A220/A319/A320/A321/A330/A340/A350/A380 family, Embraer E170/E175/E190/E195, Bombardier CRJ and Dash 8, and the ATR 42/72 turboprops.

Is FlightFinder free to use?

Search and schedules are free. Pro ($4.99/month, $39/year, or $99 one-time lifetime) unlocks the enriched flight card — on-time stats, CO₂ per passenger, amenities, live gate & weather — plus My Trips with push alerts.

Where does the route data come from?

Live schedules come from Amadeus, AeroDataBox and Travelpayouts. Observed routes (which aircraft actually flew a given city pair) are crowdsourced from adsb.lol ADS-B data under the Open Database License.