Cessna 180 accident near Lebanon, Missouri, August 24, 2020
On August 24, 2020 at about 7:54 pm local time, a 1958 Cessna 180, registered N748P, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near Lebanon, Missouri (Floyd W Jones Lebanon 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 landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 24, 2020 · about 7:54 pm local time
- Place
- Lebanon, Missouri · Floyd W Jones Lebanon · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 180 A, built 1958 · all 180s on the register
- Registration
- N748P · no longer on the register · serial 50335
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that during landing, just before touchdown, he applied "a small amount of right rudder" to correct for a slight left turn. When the tailwheel touched down following a wheel landing, the airplane began to veer to the right. The pilot applied left brake, which caused the airplane to go to the left. He attempted to correct with right rudder and brake; however, the airplane ground looped to the left, and the right wing, fuselage, and propeller hit the runway resulting in substantial damage to the right wing and fuselage. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
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 defining event
- Attempted remediation/recovery during landing (landing roll)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Directional control › Not attained/maintained
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 8,765 hours in all; 14 in this make and model; 59 in the last 90 days; 11 in the last 30 days; 8,326 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: June 4, 2018
- Medical certificate: BasicMed (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,042.7 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, April 24, 2020; 6.9 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,950 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470 SERIES (piston); 4,035 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 50F Fort Worth TX at 7:45 pm
- Destination: EKM Elkhart IN
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 36, 5,000 ft by 75 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 14°F (-10°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.14 inHg
- Observation at 12:15 pm from KLBO
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 2 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
2 documents, released by the NTSB on August 11, 2021. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Photos | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Other NTSB records under N748P 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.