Cessna 180K accident near Quincy, Washington, July 19, 2001
On July 19, 2001 at about 5:00 pm local time, a Cessna 180K, registered N64426, was substantially damaged in an accident near Quincy, Washington (Quincy Municipal airport). It was an instructional 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 directional control during the landing roll. Factors include an encounter with a dust devil/whirlwind.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 19, 2001 · about 5:00 pm local time
- Place
- Quincy, Washington · Quincy Municipal · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 180K · all 180Ks on the register
- Registration
- N64426 · registry record · serial 18052897
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The flight instructor, who was sitting in the right seat, was demonstrating his short-field landing technique to the owner of the aircraft. Just as the aircraft touched down, it encountered a dust devil/whirlwind. The rotational force imparted to the aircraft by the whirlwind made it hard to control at its low forward speed. The instructor pilot elected not to execute a go-around, and even with both rudder and differential brake application, he was not able to keep the aircraft from departing the side of the runway. After it departed the runway, the aircraft encountered soft, sandy terrain, and nosed over onto its back.
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
Flight instructor
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: glider; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 18,500 hours in all; 350 in this make and model; 250 in the last 90 days; 90 in the last 30 days; 17,500 as pilot in command; 4,000 on instruments
- Last flight review: December 8, 2000
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection
- Maximum gross weight: 2,800 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 80WA
- Destination: Quincy WA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 27, 3,660 ft by 50 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 84°F (29°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.
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.