Cessna 180H accident near Greencastle, Indiana, July 25, 2013
On July 25, 2013 at about 3:00 pm local time, a Cessna 180H, registered N28RR, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (landing roll) near Greencastle, Indiana (Putnam County Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's excessive application of the right brake during the landing, which resulted in a runway excursion.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 25, 2013 · about 3:00 pm local time
- Place
- Greencastle, Indiana · Putnam County Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 180H · all 180Hs on the register
- Registration
- N28RR · no longer on the register · serial 18052241
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
When the pilot applied the airplane's wheel brakes during the landing roll on an asphalt runway, he heard a "metal clanging noise." The airplane veered off the right side of the runway and tipped over on the left wing. This landing was the pilot's first landing on an asphalt surface since the brakes had been serviced and the right brake pads replaced. Most of the pilot's previous landings had been performed on grass strips. During a postaccident examination, the right brake assembly was disassembled and no preaccident malfunctions were found with the brake, its associated brake lines, or the master cylinder.
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
- Abrupt maneuver 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 Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Incorrect action performance › Pilot
- Personnel issues › Experience/knowledge › Experience/qualifications › Recent experience › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 702 hours in all; 363 in this make and model; 10 in the last 90 days; 4 in the last 30 days; 702 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,933 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 1, 2013; 15 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,800 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Cont Motor O-470 SERIES (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Quinet Life & Casualty CORP
The flight
- Departed from: 5I4 Sheridan IN at 2:30 pm
- Destination: 4I7 Greencastle IN
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 18, 4,987 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 010° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 55°F (13°C)
- Altimeter: 30.10 inHg
- Observation at 3:52 pm from KHUF, 25 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 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.
Other NTSB records under N28RR 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.