Cessna 180 N3389D
22 October 2008 · Whitewater, Colorado, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 22 October 2008 at about 14:57 local time, a Cessna 180 registered N3389D, operated by Miel Del Rio Grande, Inc., was involved in an accident near Whitewater, Colorado, United States. 6 people were 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 14:57
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Whitewater, Colorado, United States
- Coordinates
- 38.9436, -108.3497
- Aircraft
- Cessna 180
- Registration
- N3389D
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Miel Del Rio Grande, Inc.
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Del Norte → Vernal
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- CEN09LA031
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
Probable cause
Both pilots' failure to see and avoid the other airplane. Contributing factors in this accident were the Cessna 180 pilot's attention being diverted and the Cessna 210 pilot's vision being affected by the sun glare.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
According to the pilot of the Cessna 180, he was descending westbound from 16,500 feet to 8,500 feet. As he passed 10,500 feet, he peered out the passenger window, hoping to catch a glimpse of deer. At approximately 10,000 feet, his passenger yelled and he saw the other airplane approaching head-on. He dove his airplane, then felt an impact. He made a forced landing in a field and the airplane nosed over. According to the pilot of the other airplane, he was climbing eastbound between 9,500 and 10,500 feet into the sun when he heard a loud "bang" and thought that he had struck a bird. He elected to return to the airport to have the damage assessed. After several unsuccessful attempts to lower the nose gear, the pilot landed the airplane with the nose gear up. The airplane skidded on its nose for approximately 300 feet before coming to a stop.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Aircraft involved
| Aircraft | Registration | Operator | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cessna 180 | N3389D | Miel Del Rio Grande, Inc. | Substantial |
| Cessna P210 N | N731NX | Mesa County | Minor |
Other Cessna 180 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 Oct 2008 | Cessna 180A | St. Louis, Missouri, United States | 6180 LLC | No injuries | - |
| 7 Jun 2008 | Cessna 180 | Eveleth, Minnesota, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 18 Mar 2008 | Cessna 180H | Moab, Utah, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 15 Jun 2008 | Cessna 180 | Atlanta, Idaho, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 21 Dec 2008 | Cessna 180C | Great Falls, Montana, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 19 Oct 2008 | Cessna 180 | Denton, Texas, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
All 2,729 records for this type
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 Jan 2008 | Cessna 152 | Loveland, Colorado, United States | Colorado Contrails | No injuries | - |
| 27 Jul 2008 | Curtiss-Wright 12Q | Erie, Colorado, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 28 Apr 2008 | Mooney M20E | Erie, Colorado, United States | Facey Enterprises, Inc | No injuries | - |
| 8 May 2008 | Cessna 182 | Black Hawk, Colorado, United States | Winkmaggair, LLC | Fatal | 1 |
| 24 Jul 2008 | Airbus A319-114 | Denver, Colorado, United States | Centre Air Canada | No injuries | - |
| 23 Jul 2008 | Beechcraft 35-C33A | Longmont, Colorado, United States | Brian Higley | No injuries | - |