Cessna 180 accident near Cameron Park, California, August 27, 2000
On August 27, 2000 at about 4:22 pm local time, a Cessna 180, registered N2443C, was substantially damaged in an accident near Cameron Park, California (Cameron Airpark airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
failure of the pilot to verify the seat latch was secure, resulting in the pilot's inability to reach the flight controls necessary 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 27, 2000 · about 4:22 pm local time
- Place
- Cameron Park, California · Cameron Airpark · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 180 · all 180s on the register
- Registration
- N2443C · no longer on the register · serial 30743
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot's seat slid backwards when takeoff power was applied. His airplane was equipped with a secondary friction lock, but the seat only stopped momentarily. As the seat slid further aft, he reduced power. The airplane started to drift left, but he could not reach the rudder pedals. The airplane departed the left side of the runway, completed about 270 degrees of turn, and the right main gear collapsed.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 1,855 hours in all; 810 in this make and model; 48 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,970 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 24, 2000
- Maximum gross weight: 2,550 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-550-D16B (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 061 at 4:22 pm
- Destination: RNM Ramona CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 31, 4,060 ft by 60 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 151°F (66°C), dew point 131°F (55°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:53 pm from SAC, 30 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 N2443C 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.