Cessna 180K accident near Mooresville, North Carolina, September 28, 2006
On September 28, 2006 at about 3:15 pm local time, a Cessna 180K, registered N64382, was substantially damaged in an accident near Mooresville, North Carolina (Lake Norman Airpark airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain directional control during the takeoff roll which resulted in a ground loop.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 28, 2006 · about 3:15 pm local time
- Place
- Mooresville, North Carolina · Lake Norman Airpark · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 180K · all 180Ks on the register
- Registration
- N64382 · registry record · serial 18052896
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot stated while adding power on the takeoff roll in a crosswind condition, he lost control of the airplane and it ground looped. The pilot did not report any flight control or mechanical anomalies prior to the accident. The pilot stated that he needed more training in crosswind conditions in a tailwheel aircraft.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,196 hours in all; 15 in this make and model; 50 in the last 90 days; 25 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: December 1, 2005
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,468.4 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 1, 2006; 27 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,800 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 14A Mooresville NC at 3:15 pm
- Destination: 14A Mooresville NC
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 32, 3,147 ft by 40 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 230° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 57°F (14°C), dew point 55°F (13°C)
- Altimeter: 29.97 inHg
- Observation at 3:15 pm from 14A
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.