Cessna 180 accident near Prospect, Oregon, July 16, 2005
On July 16, 2005 at about 7:20 pm local time, a Cessna 180, registered N2944C, was substantially damaged in an accident near Prospect, Oregon (Prospect State 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 inadequate in-flight decision to perform a wheel landing with a 5 to 10 knot tail wind, and his subsequent loss of aircraft directional control during the landing roll. A tailwind and soft terrain were factors.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 16, 2005 · about 7:20 pm local time
- Place
- Prospect, Oregon · Prospect State Airport · 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
- N2944C · registry record · serial 30844
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Witnesses said that the airplane performed a "low pass down runway 20 to the south." On witness said that the pilot made a "pulling turn up, 180 degree turn to land on runway 02." Several witnesses said that the pilot landed "long and fast"; the pilot performed a wheel landing on runway 02. The pilot reported that the wind was calm. One witness said that the wind was "about 5-7 MPH out of the South." Another witness said that the wind was approximately 10 Knots from the south (180 degrees). The pilot reported that during the landing roll, the airplane's tail wheel "shimmied violently" and the airplane departed the left side of the runway. He said that the ground was soft, and the airplane nosed over damaging both wings and the left wing strut. Photographs of the runway show two equally black skid marks veering left off runway 02, and the extension of those marks continue in the gravel and grass to the nosed over airplane. The aircraft recovery personnel said that once the airplane was "up righted," they found that both brakes worked normally.
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: 1,100 hours in all
- Last flight review: June 1, 2004
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection
- Maximum gross weight: 2,550 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: OR96 Medford OR at 7:00 pm
- Destination: 64S Prospect OR
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 020, 4,000 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 55°F (13°C)
- Altimeter: 29.97 inHg
- Observation at 5:53 pm from MFR, 28 miles away
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.