Cessna 180 N4696B

Summary

On 13 March 2016 at about 14:00 local time, a Cessna 180 registered N4696B was involved in an accident near Boulder, Utah, United States. 3 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.

Date

13 March 2016 at 14:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Boulder, Utah, United States

Nearest airport

Private Dirt Airstrip (NA)

Coordinates

37.8914, -111.4633

Aircraft

Cessna 180

Registration

N4696B

Category

Airplane

Year built

1955

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Boulder → Boulder

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR16LA083

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's failure to abort the takeoff from the soft runway surface, which precluded optimal acceleration during the takeoff sequence.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The private pilot reported that, during the takeoff run from the 2,100-ft-long soft, unimproved dirt airstrip, he observed that the propeller rpm was 2,600; he did not observe the manifold pressure reading. The pilot reported that the airplane seemed to accelerate slowly, which he thought was likely due to the soft runway surface or vegetation. About halfway to two-thirds down the runway, as the tail was coming off the ground, the pilot added a notch of flaps as the airplane continued to roll on its main landing gear. As the airplane approached the end of the runway, the pilot pulled back on the control yoke, which increased the angle of attack. The airplane then climbed about 2 ft above the ground before settling into sagebrush off the end of the runway. The airplane subsequently impacted a tree and came to rest upright about 50 yards from the tree. The pilot stated that he thought the engine might not have been producing full power and that he should have aborted the takeoff at that time. However, a postaccident examination of the airframe and engine, which included two engine test runs, did not reveal any anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. If the pilot had chosen to abort the takeoff when he noted that he airplane was accelerating slowly, the accident likely would have not occurred.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.