Cessna 180 accident near Bluff, Utah, September 26, 2008
On September 26, 2008 at about 2:15 pm local time, a Cessna 180, registered N4646A, was substantially damaged in an accident during taxi (from runway) near Bluff, Utah (Dirt Airstrip 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 encounter with the rough, uneven, and eroded condition of the airstrip.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 26, 2008 · about 2:15 pm local time
- Place
- Bluff, Utah · Dirt Airstrip · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 180 · all 180s on the register
- Registration
- N4646A · registry record · serial 32243
- 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 landed on the unimproved dirt airstrip and came to a full stop. He began taxiing and started to turn around when he encountered a washed out area. The pilot stated that after proceeding about another 30 feet the left main landing gear collapsed through an eroded section of the dirt airstrip, which was not visible to him. The pilot reported that the landing gear fell about 2 feet followed by the airplane going up on its nose and the propeller striking the ground; the airplane subsequently fell back on its tailwheel. The pilot reported substantial damage to the airplane as a result of the left main landing gear strut being bent and damage to the left gear attachment structure.
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
What happened, in order
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during taxi
- Landing gear collapse during taxi (from runway) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Environmental issues › Physical environment › Terrain › Rough terrain › Awareness of condition
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,695 hours in all; 1,140 in this make and model; 49 in the last 90 days; 21 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 66V Bluff UT at 1:30 pm
- Destination: Bluff UT
- Flight plan: not recorded
- Runway 18
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight 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.