Cessna 180H accident near Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, February 26, 2006
On February 26, 2006 at about 5:15 pm local time, a Cessna 180H, registered N123GT, was substantially damaged in an accident near Blue Bell, Pennsylvania (Wings Field Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain control of the airplane during the landing flare, which resulted in the right wing contacting the runway. A factor was the crosswind.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 26, 2006 · about 5:15 pm local time
- Place
- Blue Bell, Pennsylvania · Wings Field Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 180H · all 180Hs on the register
- Registration
- N123GT · no longer on the register · serial 18051689
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
According to the pilot, he had applied full control deflection in order to correct for the wind during the landing approach. During the landing flare, the crosswind shifted to a different direction and the pilot "lost control" of the airplane. The right wing tip contacted the runway which resulted in substantial damage.
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: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,517 hours in all; 582 in this make and model; 7 in the last 90 days; 3 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3
The aircraft
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 7N8 Bally PA
- Destination: LOM Blue Bell PA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 6
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 340° at 12 knots, gusting 17
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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 N123GT 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.