Cessna 180 accident near Port Townsend, Washington, March 11, 2000
On March 11, 2000, a Cessna 180, registered N4994A, was substantially damaged in an accident near Port Townsend, Washington (Jefferson County Intl. airport). 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 failure to adequately compensate for changing wind conditions during the landing roll in a tailwheel-equipped aircraft. Factors include a variable, shifting wind that changed from a quartering headwind to a quartering tailwind just prior to the aircraft touching down on the runway, and soft, wet terrain just off the edge of the runway surface.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 11, 2000
- Place
- Port Townsend, Washington · Jefferson County Intl. · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 180 · all 180s on the register
- Registration
- N4994A · registry record · serial 32391
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot, who was flying a tailwheel-equipped aircraft, thought he was landing into a quartering headwind. But according to pilot-rated witnesses, the wind shifted just prior to the aircraft crossing the threshold. After the aircraft touched down, the tailwind lifted its tail into the air, and the pilot began having difficulty maintaining directional control. During his attempts to remain aligned with the runway, the aircraft departed the side runway surface, and encountered soft, wet terrain. Soon after encountering the soft terrain, one of the main gear legs separated from the aircraft.
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: 1,163 hours in all; 754 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,544 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 24, 2000; 3 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,650 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-K (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PAE Everett WA
- Destination: 059
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 26, 3,000 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 15 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 2,500 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 50°F (10°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.
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.