Cessna 180J accident near Angwin, California, April 22, 2003
On April 22, 2003 at about 9:30 pm local time, a Cessna 180J, registered N7821K, was substantially damaged in an accident near Angwin, California (Angwin-Parrett Field). 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).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot's inadequate compensation for the crosswind conditions and failure to maintain directional control of the airplane during the landing roll.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 22, 2003 · about 9:30 pm local time · cases in 2003
- Place
- Angwin, California · Angwin-Parrett Field · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 180J · all 180Js on the register
- Registration
- N7821K · registry record · serial 18052755
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane veered off the runway to the right and came to rest nose down in a ditch. The pilot had received an airport advisory from another airplane that the airport was experiencing a crosswind from the west and recommended runway 16. During the landing roll, with the tail still airborne, a gust of wind pushed the airplane to the right despite full rudder control input and braking by the pilot to the left.
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: 717 hours in all; 547 in this make and model; 15 in the last 90 days; 5 in the last 30 days; 710 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: February 7, 2003
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,240.8 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 1, 2003; 14.7 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,800 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470S (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 2O3 St Helena CA at 6:30 pm
- Destination: 2O3 St Helena CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 16, 3,217 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 0 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 3,900 ft
- Temperature: 63°F (17°C), dew point 46°F (8°C)
- Altimeter: 29.92 inHg
- Observation at 8:53 pm from KSTS
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 N7821K the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N7821K on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Cessna 180 Skywagon 2,605 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Cessna 72,684 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Continental O-470S 22 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Angwin-Parrett Field · nearest airport
- Accidents and incidents in California 9,080 since 1982 · 1,098 in the last ten years
- California 27,686 aircraft registered
- Other NTSB records under N7821K 1 records · the number may have belonged to another aircraft at the time
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/LAX03LA140.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.