Cessna 180A accident near Duluth, Minnesota, August 1, 2007
On August 1, 2007 at about 3:37 pm local time, a Cessna 180A, registered N5016E, was substantially damaged in an accident near Duluth, Minnesota (Richard B Helgeson 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, which resulted in impact with terrain during an attempted aborted landing. A factor in the accident was the geese impacted during the landing roll.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 1, 2007 · about 3:37 pm local time
- Place
- Duluth, Minnesota · Richard B Helgeson · 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
- N5016E · registry record · serial 50316
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane was substantially damaged when it impacted terrain during an aborted landing attempt on runway 14, 3050 feet long, by 75 feet wide, dry asphalt. The pilot stated that as he was lowering the tailwheel to the runway, he impacted two geese. The airplane started to "turn to the right" while the pilot tried to correct using left brake, left rudder, and right aileron control inputs. The pilot then added full engine power "to get back in the air." The left wing subsequently contacted the runway and the airplane "flipped on its back" and came to rest inverted.
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: single-engine land; single-engine sea
- Flight time: 622 hours in all; 450 in this make and model; 7 in the last 90 days; 3 in the last 30 days; 590 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: October 1, 2006
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,553 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 1, 2007
- Maximum gross weight: 2,650 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470R (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: TWM Two Harbors MN at 3:00 pm
- Destination: DYT Duluth MN
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 14, 3,050 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 220° at 21 knots, gusting 25
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 68°F (20°C)
- Altimeter: 29.84 inHg
- Observation at 3:34 pm from DYT
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.
Other NTSB records under N5016E 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.