Cessna 180A accident near White Bear Lake, Minnesota, July 5, 1999
On July 5, 1999 at about 5:40 pm local time, a Cessna 180A, registered N9780B, was substantially damaged in an accident near White Bear Lake, Minnesota. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot's inability to get the airplane to climb for undetermined reason, and the pilot landing the floatplane on the lake with the wheels extended. Factors contributing to this accident were the pilot's failure to perform a before landing checklist, pressure induced by the event, and the precautionary landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 5, 1999 · about 5:40 pm local time
- Place
- White Bear Lake, Minnesota · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 180A · all 180As on the register
- Registration
- N9780B · registry record · serial 50078
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Shortly after takeoff, the pilot noted that the airplane was not climbing normally. He said that he could not maintain a comfortable airspeed to raise the wheels on the floats. He became distracted with trying to maintain a flying airspeed of 85 miles per hour and an altitude of 300 feet agl. 'The plane was indicating normal temperatures and pressures. The only noticeable differences were vibrations until the propeller was dialed back to 2,500 rpm and [the] manifold pressure was pulled to 25 inches [of Mercury (HG)].' The pilot cleared the landing lane on the lake and made the landing area. He said that he did not perform a before landing check and that the landing gear (wheels) were still extended out of the floats. On contact with the water, the airplane nosed over. Examination of the airplane revealed that the wheels were fully extended on the floats. Examination of the engine and other airplane systems revealed no anomalies.
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; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,810 hours in all; 270 in this make and model; 70 in the last 90 days; 57 in the last 30 days; 1,760 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,279 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 4, 1999; 25 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,850 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 25D Forest Lake MN at 5:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 210° at 12 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 3,400 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 88°F (31°C), dew point 73°F (23°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:53 pm from STP, 15 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number CHI99LA209.