Aviation Crash Map

Cessna 180J N121KS

28 December 1997 · Fort Worth, Texas, United States · No injuries

Summary

On 28 December 1997 at about 20:00 local time, a Cessna 180J registered N121KS was involved in an accident near Fort Worth, Texas, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

The record

Date
at 20:00
Classification
Accident
Location
Fort Worth, Texas, United States
Nearest airport
Fort Worth Meacham Intl (FTW)
Coordinates
32.8207, -97.3607
Aircraft
Cessna 180J
Registration
N121KS
Category
Airplane
Engines
1
Operator
Not recorded
Operating rule
Part 91: General Aviation
Purpose of flight
Personal
Phase of flight
Not recorded
Route
Unknown → Whitewright
Aircraft damage
Substantial
Weather
VMC
Light
Day
NTSB number
FTW98LA077

People

Nobody was injured.

On board Died Serious Minor Uninjured
1 0 0 0 1

Probable cause

the pilot's improper planning/decision, by allowing the airplane to get in a situation, where he could not compensate for wind conditions. A related factor was the gusty crosswind.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

As the tailwheel-equipped airplane was being taxied toward the centerline of runway 34R, it turned to the left, nosed down, and came to rest balanced on the left main landing gear, the left wing tip, and the propeller spinner. According to the pilot, the left turn was due to a wind gust that 'hit the airplane and spun it counterclockwise.' Following the nose down, the pilot got out of the airplane and attempted to hold the airplane; however, the wind blew the airplane over onto its back. The pilot indicated that the winds at the time of the accident were from 280 to 310 degrees at approximately 20 to 25 knots with gusts to 30 knots. At 1353, seven minutes prior to the accident, the recorded winds at the airport were from a true heading of 300 degrees at 24 knots with gusts to 31 knots. The crosswind component for a takeoff on runway 34R (true heading 352 degrees) with a wind from 300 degrees at 30 knots was calculated to be 23 knots. According to the Pilot's Operating Handbook, the maximum demonstrated crosswind velocity for the airplane was 12 knots. The pilot stated that the accident could have been prevented by 'selection of runway that more aligns with current winds.'

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.

Other Cessna 180 accidents

Date Aircraft Location Operator Outcome Died
19 May 1997 Cessna 180
N9279C
Rancho Santa Yn, Mexico
no coordinates
Lowell Schoonmaker No injuries -
22 Jul 1997 Cessna 180
N9320C
Carlisle, Arkansas, United States - No injuries -
13 Dec 1997 Cessna 180H
N123LJ
Santa Ynez, California, United States
no coordinates
- No injuries -
30 Mar 1997 Cessna 180C
N9065N
Camarillo, California, United States - Minor injuries -
20 Jan 1997 Cessna 180J
N42376
Lopez, Washington, United States - Minor injuries -
14 May 1997 Cessna 180J
N4992V
Lebanon, New Hampshire, United States
no coordinates
- No injuries -

All 2,729 records for this type

Other accidents in this area

Date Aircraft Location Operator Outcome Died
23 Jun 1997 Aero Commander CALLAIR A-9B
N7684V
El Indio, Texas, United States - No injuries -
25 Jun 1997 Cessna 182Q
N96TJ
Sugar Land, Texas, United States - No injuries -
25 Jun 1997 Piper PA-28RT-201
N8326S
Whitewright, Texas, United States Centerline Aviation, Inc. No injuries -
30 Jun 1997 Air Tractor AT-301
N4396S
Edna, Texas, United States - No injuries -
29 Jun 1997 Cessna 152
N6099L
Gorman, Texas, United States Spencer Jones Minor injuries -
2 Jul 1997 Cessna 152
N69073
Fort Worth, Texas, United States Bridgeport Flight Training Minor injuries -

All 170,864 records in United States