Prospect, OR, USA
N2944C
Cessna 180
Witnesses said that the airplane performed a "low pass down runway 20 to the south." On witness said that the pilot made a "pulling turn up, 180 degree turn to land on runway 02." Several witnesses said that the pilot landed "long and fast"; the pilot performed a wheel landing on runway 02. The pilot reported that the wind was calm. One witness said that the wind was "about 5-7 MPH out of the South." Another witness said that the wind was approximately 10 Knots from the south (180 degrees). The pilot reported that during the landing roll, the airplane's tail wheel "shimmied violently" and the airplane departed the left side of the runway. He said that the ground was soft, and the airplane nosed over damaging both wings and the left wing strut. Photographs of the runway show two equally black skid marks veering left off runway 02, and the extension of those marks continue in the gravel and grass to the nosed over airplane. The aircraft recovery personnel said that once the airplane was "up righted," they found that both brakes worked normally.
On July 16, 2005, at approximately 1220 Pacific daylight time, a Cessna 180, N2944C, was substantially damaged when it veered off the runway (west side) during landing roll and nosed over at Prospect State Airport, Prospect, Oregon. The private pilot, the sole occupant in the airplane, was not injured. The pilot/owner was operating the airplane under Title 14 CFR Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the cross-country personal flight which originated at approximately 1200. A flight plan had not been filed. The pilot said that he flew to Prospect, Oregon, to attend a fly-in. Witnesses said that the airplane performed a "low pass down runway 20 to the south." One witness said that the pilot made a "pulling turn up, 180 degree turn to land on runway 02." Several witnesses said that the pilot landed "long and fast"; the pilot performed a wheel landing on runway 02. The pilot reported that the wind was calm. One witness said that the wind was "about 5-7 MPH out of the South." Another witness said that the wind was approximately 10 Knots from the south (180 degrees). The pilot reported that during the landing roll, the airplane's tail wheel "shimmied violently" and the airplane departed the left side of the runway. He said that the ground was soft, and the airplane flipped over damaging both wings and the left wing strut. The pilot reported that the airplane had recently come out of an annual inspection, and a post-annual taxi test revealed that the right brake needed additional servicing. Maintenance personnel said they immediately serviced the right brake. The pilot perform a second brake check while taxiing, and immediately departed. During the accident sequence, the pilot said he believes that the right brake failed. Photographs taken by the responding Jackson County Sheriff personnel show two equally black skid marks veering left off runway 02, and the extension of those marks continue in the gravel and grass to the nosed over airplane. The aircraft recovery personnel said that once the airplane was "up righted," they found that both brakes worked normally. The density altitude at the accident site was calculated to be approximately 4,790 feet.
The pilot's inadequate in-flight decision to perform a wheel landing with a 5 to 10 knot tail wind, and his subsequent loss of aircraft directional control during the landing roll. A tailwind and soft terrain were factors.
Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database
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