Cessna 180 accident near Downsville, Texas, July 7, 2006
On July 7, 2006 at about 10:00 pm local time, a Cessna 180, registered N9260C, was substantially damaged in an accident near Downsville, Texas (Private 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).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The malfunction in the braking system which caused the parking brake to engage and lock the right main wheel resulting in a loss of directional control.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 7, 2006 · about 10:00 pm local time
- Place
- Downsville, Texas · Private · 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
- N9260C · registry record · serial 31359
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The 2,800-hour private pilot lost control of the tailwheel-equipped single-engine airplane while landing to the northwest on the 1,900-foot long private grass airstrip. The pilot reported that upon landing, the right main landing gear brake locked and would not release. The airplane then turned to the right and the left landing gear collapsed. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector, who responded to the accident, examined the airplane and found the right main landing gear wheel and brake assembly was intact and the brake pads were "in a released state, and not binding to the brake disk." During maintenance repairs to the airplane, an airframe and powerplant mechanic discovered that when he pushed on the main toe-brake, the parking brake mechanism would lock the right main landing gear brake. He reported that this was a common problem for this make/model airplane. The pilot reported that at the time of the mishap, the winds were from 130 degrees at 10 knots. The winds at the nearest weather reporting facility, located 5 miles north of the accident site were reporting the wind from 040 degrees at 8 knots at the time of 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: 2,800 hours in all; 770 in this make and model; 25 in the last 90 days; 7 in the last 30 days; 2,720 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: June 1, 2006
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,001.4 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 1, 2006
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Downsville TX
- Destination: Downsville TX
- Flight plan: none
- Runway UNK, 1,900 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 040° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 7,000 ft
- Temperature: 91°F (33°C), dew point 61°F (16°C)
- Altimeter: 30.07 inHg
- Observation at 9:51 pm from ACT, 5 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
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 DFW06CA178.