Cessna 180J accident near Pittsburg, Oregon, August 18, 2004
On August 18, 2004 at about 1:00 am local time, a Cessna 180J, registered N52096, was substantially damaged in an accident near Pittsburg, Oregon (Pittsburg Landing 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 clearance from an object (pole) during an aborted landing. The pilot's delayed decision to abort the landing and a pole were factors.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 18, 2004 · about 1:00 am local time
- Place
- Pittsburg, Oregon · Pittsburg Landing · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 180J · all 180Js on the register
- Registration
- N52096 · registry record · serial 18052497
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that he first over flew runway 12, which is 1,050 feet in length, and determined that the windsock was indicating calm wind. The approach for landing was made at 65 mph with full flaps extended. The aircraft touched down about 50 to 100 feet from the threshold. The pilot reported that "... it didn't look good for stopping so I initiated a go-around. Rotation was a split second too late and the aircraft contacted some brush at the very end of the strip." The pilot reported that there was something hard in the brush which struck the outboard leading edge of the right side horizontal stabilizer. The pilot continued the flight to his destination and landed without further incident. Inspection of the right side horizontal stabilizer found a circular indentation to the outboard leading edge. Skin wrinkles were noted on the top and bottom surfaces.
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: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 8,260 hours in all; 1,280 in this make and model; 28 in the last 90 days; 10 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3
The aircraft
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470R-42B (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: S84 Cottonwood ID
- Destination: Pittsburg Land OR
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 120
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- 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.
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.