Cessna 180 accident near Houma, Louisiana, March 3, 1985
On March 3, 1985, a Cessna 180, registered N2878K, was substantially damaged in an accident near Houma, Louisiana (Shannon Fld 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 NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 3, 1985
- Place
- Houma, Louisiana · Shannon Fld · 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
- N2878K · no longer on the register · serial 18053114
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT WAS ATTEMPTING TO TAKEOFF FROM A SHORT MUDDY STRIP NEAR HOUMA, LA. HE ELECTED TO ABORT THE TAKEOFF & APPLIED BRAKES. THE ACFT THEN ROLLED OVER A DRY AREA ON THE STRIP, WHERE BRAKING ACTION BECAME EFFECTIVE & THE AIRCRAFT NOSED OVER. NO MECHANICAL MALFUNCTION WAS REPORTED.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,000 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Unknown
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 2,650 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-U (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0, 1,100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 140° at 13 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 1,600 ft; not recorded at 1,600 ft
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:46 pm from HUM
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.
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.