Cessna 180A accident near St. Louis, Missouri, October 6, 2008
On October 6, 2008 at about 10:30 pm local time, a Cessna 180A, registered N6180, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (landing roll) near St. Louis, Missouri (Spirit Of St. Louis Airport). It was an instructional 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 flight instructor's failure to maintain directional control during the landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 6, 2008 · about 10:30 pm local time
- Place
- St. Louis, Missouri · Spirit Of St. Louis Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 180A · all 180As on the register
- Registration
- N6180 · registry record · serial 32966
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The flight instructor and pilot receiving instruction were practicing touch-and-go maneuvers in a conventional gear airplane on runway 8L. During the accident landing, the airplane touched down on the runway "centerline with no drop-in or bounce." During the landing roll, the airplane veered to the right. The airplane then lifted onto its left main landing gear and exited the runway surface. The airplane came to rest upright at a 90-degree angle to the runway. The flight instructor reported he was at the controls during the accident landing. Examination of the airplane revealed the fuselage was buckled. The flight instructor and pilot receiving instruction were not injured.
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
What happened, in order
- Loss of control on ground during landing (landing roll) defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing (landing roll)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Directional control › Not attained/maintained
Flight instructor
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 15,095 hours in all; 64 in this make and model; 49 in the last 90 days; 9 in the last 30 days; 15,071 as pilot in command; 13,858 on instruments
- Last flight review: March 22, 2008
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
Dual student
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,031 hours in all; 56 in this make and model; 73 in the last 90 days
- Last flight review: April 7, 2008
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,000 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 7, 2008
- Maximum gross weight: 2,650 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470 (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: 6180 LLC
The flight
- Departed from: SUS St. Louis MO at 9:30 pm
- Destination: SUS St. Louis MO
- Flight plan: not recorded
- Runway 08L, 5,000 ft by 75 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 140° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 2 |
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.
Other NTSB records under N6180 the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.