Cessna 180A accident near Big Bend, California, June 29, 2005
On June 29, 2005 at about 3:45 pm local time, a Cessna 180A, registered N2929C, was substantially damaged in an accident near Big Bend, California (Iron Canyon Reservoir 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
the pilot misjudged his clearance altitude above the surface of the lake, resulting in a collision with water.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 29, 2005 · about 3:45 pm local time
- Place
- Big Bend, California · Iron Canyon Reservoir · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 180A · all 180As on the register
- Registration
- N2929C · registry record · serial 30829
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During a left turn to final, the airplane's left landing gear contacted the surface of a lake, causing the plane to settle into in the water and become submerged about 100 feet short of the landing area. The pilot reported that he had been using this private strip on the shore of a reservoir since 1965. He made several passes to check the condition of the unimproved area and noted that the lake level was higher than normal, which reduced the length of the landing area to about 600 feet. The pilot stated that the accident was caused by his failure to determine the proximity of the water surface. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane.
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
- Flight time: 1,705 hours in all; 107 in this make and model; 3 in the last 90 days; 1 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3
The aircraft
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: P40 Paradise CA at 3:00 pm
- Destination: Big Bend CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 36, 800 ft by 40 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.90 inHg
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 N2929C 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.