Cessna 180 accident near Heber City, Utah, August 22, 1999
On August 22, 1999 at about 2:20 am local time, a Cessna 180, registered N1630C, was substantially damaged in an accident near Heber City, Utah (Heber Valley airport). It was a business 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 stripped threads and subsequent separation of the left hydraulic brake line leading to fluid loss and the pilot's inability to maintain directional control.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 22, 1999 · about 2:20 am local time
- Place
- Heber City, Utah · Heber Valley · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 180 · all 180s on the register
- Registration
- N1630C · registry record · serial 30330
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot said approaching dusk reduced visibility, and he decided not to continue his trip. He landed at Heber Valley Airport. As he applied brakes, the airplane veered to the right. The left wing struck the runway, and the airplane ground looped. A trail of brake fluid was found on the runway. The left brake line had separated from the caliper assembly. The threads were stripped out. There was no loop, or slack, in the brake line. The airplane had brake work done a year before the accident.
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
- Flight time: 371 hours in all; 167 in this make and model; 30 in the last 90 days; 20 in the last 30 days; 246 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,682 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 17, 1998; 30 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,550 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-J (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: FUL Fullerton CA at 7:20 pm
- Destination: PNA Pinedale WY
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 21, 6,900 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Wind: from 220° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 57°F (14°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:55 am from PVU, 27 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 N1630C 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.