Cessna 180 accident near Lopez, Washington, November 22, 2005
On November 22, 2005 at about 9:30 pm local time, a Cessna 180, registered N108EE, was substantially damaged in an accident near Lopez, Washington (Lopez Island Airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The airline transport pilot, who was receiving recurrent training, failed to maintain aircraft control, which was followed by an inadvertent ground loop. A contributing factor was the inadequate supervision by the flight instructor.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 12, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 22, 2005 · about 9:30 pm local time · cases in 2005
- Place
- Lopez, Washington · Lopez Island Airport · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 180 · all 180s on the register
- Registration
- N108EE · registry record · serial 32505
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
An airline transport pilot was receiving instruction in tail wheel landings in her personal airplane (she had been flying it on floats in Alaska for the last five years). The flight instructor said this was the first tail wheel landing for the day, and it was the second day of their recurrent training. The student said that after she landed, she released pressure on the flight controls like she did during a float-airplane landing on water. During the landing roll, the airplane ground looped to the left, and a rib and spar in the right wing were bent.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,921 hours in all; 366 in this make and model; 53 in the last 90 days; 12 in the last 30 days; 1,786 as pilot in command; 953 on instruments
- Last flight review: November 1, 2005
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
Dual student
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 4,860 hours in all; 120 in this make and model; 100 in the last 90 days; 15 in the last 30 days; 3,401 as pilot in command; 98 on instruments
- Last flight review: March 1, 2004
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 8,633 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 1, 2004
- Maximum gross weight: 2,550 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-R (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: BVS Mount Vernon WA at 9:15 pm
- Destination: S31 Lopez WA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 34, 2,904 ft by 60 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 360° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Temperature: 43°F (6°C), dew point 41°F (5°C)
- Altimeter: 30.17 inHg
- Observation at 9:44 pm from FHR, 5 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 | |||
| 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.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N108EE on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Cessna 180 Skywagon 2,605 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Cessna 72,683 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Continental O-470-R 107 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Lopez Island Airport · nearest airport
- Skagit Regional · departed from
- Accidents and incidents in Washington 2,709 since 1982 · 358 in the last ten years
- Washington 10,572 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/SEA06LA021.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.