Moab, UT, USA
N1732C
Cessna 180
During one of a series of three-point landings in a tail wheel-equipped airplane, the airplane bounced and then veered to the right during the flare/touchdown phase of the landing sequence. The pilot was unable to keep it from going further to the right, and as it continued to veer to the right of the runway heading, the left main gear leg collapsed, resulting in damage to the fuselage structure. There were no malfunctions or anomalies in the airplane's flight control or tail wheel steering systems. The pilot said that he felt he needed more extensive training in the Cessna 180 and that he should not have attempted a three-point landing in that model airplane until he had completed that training.
On February 26, 2008, about 1400 mountain standard time, a Cessna 180, N1732C, experienced a main landing gear collapse during a landing at Canyonlands Airport, Moab, Utah. The commercial pilot, who was the sole occupant, was not injured, but the airplane, which was owned and operated by a friend of the pilot, sustained substantial damage. The 14 CFR Part 91 local personal pleasure flight, which originated about one hour prior to the accident, was being operated in visual meteorological conditions. No flight plan had been filed. According to the pilot, during one of his "three-point" landings, the airplane bounced and then veered to the right. He said that he was unable to keep it from going further to the right, and as it continued to go further to the right of the runway heading, the left main gear leg collapsed, resulting in damage to the fuselage structure. According to the pilot, there were no malfunctions or anomalies in the flight control or tail wheel steering systems. He further stated that he felt he needed "more extensive training" in the Cessna 180, and that he should not attempt a "three-point" landing in a Cessna 180 until he had completed that training.
The pilot's failure to maintain directional control of the tail wheel-equipped airplane during the flare/touchdown phase of a three-point landing.
Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database
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