Cessna 180G accident near Lopez Island, Washington, May 5, 2007
On May 5, 2007 at about 1:00 am local time, a Cessna 180G, registered N609PF, was substantially damaged in an accident near Lopez Island, Washington (Private 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 maintain directional control during takeoff. Geese were a factor.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 5, 2007 · about 1:00 am local time
- Place
- Lopez Island, Washington · Private · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 180G · all 180Gs on the register
- Registration
- N609PF · no longer on the register · serial 18051328
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was conducting a Title 14, CFR Part 91 personal flight in a Cessna 180G airplane that nosed-over during takeoff. During a telephone conversation with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigator-in-charge (IIC) shortly after the accident, the pilot stated that he was attempting to avoid geese on the private airstrip when the accident occurred. In a written report, dated May 26, 2007, the pilot stated "taxi down the runway - goose ran out in front - jammed on brakes and tailwind gust - flipped me over." The airplane sustained substantial damage to the empennage. The pilot did not report any preaccident mechanical anomalies. The pilot reported that his last medical, third class, was issued on October 21, 2003. The medical carried a limitation that stated "not valid for any class after October 31, 2005."
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 2,000 hours in all; 500 in this make and model
- Last flight review: October 1, 2005
- Medical certificate: Class 3
The aircraft
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Lopez Island WA
- Destination: Lopez Island WA
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°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.