Cessna 180 accident near Freedom, Pennsylvania, May 26, 1997
On May 26, 1997 at about 7:42 pm local time, a Cessna 180, registered N1802C, was destroyed in an accident near Freedom, Pennsylvania (Kindelberger airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured and 4 people had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot's premature lift off, and his failure to maintain proper runway alignment, which resulted in an inadvertent stall, while attempting to avoid an obstruction (telephone pole). Factors relating to the accident were: the pilot allowed the airplane's gross weight to be exceeded, his inadvertent use of carburetor heat, and a gusty crosswind condition.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 26, 1997 · about 7:42 pm local time
- Place
- Freedom, Pennsylvania · Kindelberger · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured and 4 people had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 180 · all 180s on the register
- Registration
- N1802C · no longer on the register · serial 32153
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane was configured with a single seat, one set of controls, and with seat belts on the floor to haul parachutists. Also, it was loaded to an estimated gross weight of 2,834 lbs; the maximum certificated gross weight was 2,550 lbs. The pilot took off from a soft sod runway (rwy 9) with a crosswind component. About 12 miles south, the wind was reported to be from 020 deg at 9 gusting 18 kts. The pilot reported that during takeoff, the airplane was 'pushed to the right by a gust of wind.' He said that to avoid a telephone pole, he 'made a hard turn to the right, the airplane hit the ground and cartwheeled.' A parachutist seated on the floor next to the pilot, who held a commercial pilot certificate, stated the stall warning horn sounded from takeoff to ground contact. The carburetor heat was found in the 'CARB HEAT ON' position.
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: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,835 hours in all; 870 in this make and model; 15 in the last 90 days; 15 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 2,550 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-K (piston); 0 hours total
- Not recorded
The flight
- Departed from: 6G2
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 9, 1,515 ft by 110 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 020° at 9 knots, gusting 18
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 25,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 39°F (4°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:51 pm from PIT
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 | 3 |
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.