Cessna 182Q N97878

Summary

On 23 October 2016 at about 16:10 local time, a Cessna 182Q registered N97878, operated by Garland Air LLC, was involved in an accident near Buffalo, Wyoming, United States. One person was on board and one was seriously injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

23 October 2016 at 16:10

Classification

Accident

Location

Buffalo, Wyoming, United States

Coordinates

44.3856, -106.6206

Aircraft

Cessna 182Q

Registration

N97878

Category

Airplane

Year built

1979

Engines

1

Operator

Garland Air LLC

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Buffalo → Gillette

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN17LA025

1 person was seriously injured.

The pilot’s failure to set the proper flap position before the short field takeoff, which resulted in a runway excursion and impact with terrain.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The private pilot reported that, before taking off from the 1,200-ft-long grass/gravel private airstrip, he performed an engine run-up and set the flaps to 20 degrees. He applied full engine throttle and accelerated to 45 knots airspeed for rotation/takeoff. After applying back pressure to the yoke for takeoff, the airplane would not lift off the runway. The airplane "passed the point of no return," and the pilot continued the takeoff. The airplane impacted a metal post near the end of the runway, traveled down an embankment, impacted terrain, cartwheeled, and came to rest inverted. The pilot reported that all engine instruments were in the "green" during the takeoff roll. An engine test run revealed no anomalies that would have precluded the engine's ability to produce rated horsepower. Examination of the airframe revealed the flaps were in the fully retracted or 0° position. According to the supplemental type certificate pilot's checklist, the flaps should be set at 20° for a short field takeoff. The improper flap setting reduced the airplane's lift and resulted in a longer takeoff roll.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.