Cessna 180 accident near Moab, Utah, February 26, 2008
On February 26, 2008 at about 9:00 pm local time, a Cessna 180, registered N1732C, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (flare/touchdown) near Moab, Utah (Canyonlands 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 of the tail wheel-equipped airplane during the flare/touchdown phase of a three-point landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 26, 2008 · about 9:00 pm local time
- Place
- Moab, Utah · Canyonlands 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
- N1732C · no longer on the register · serial 30432
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During one of a series of three-point landings in a tail wheel-equipped airplane, the airplane bounced and then veered to the right during the flare/touchdown phase of the landing sequence. The pilot was unable to keep it from going further to the right, and as it continued to veer to the right of the runway heading, the left main gear leg collapsed, resulting in damage to the fuselage structure. There were no malfunctions or anomalies in the airplane's flight control or tail wheel steering systems. The pilot said that he felt he needed more extensive training in the Cessna 180 and that he should not have attempted a three-point landing in that model airplane until he had completed that training.
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
- Loss of control on ground during landing (flare/touchdown) defining event
- Landing gear collapse during landing (flare/touchdown)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Directional control › Not attained/maintained
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Runway/land/takeoff/taxi surfa › (general) › Not specified
- Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Main gear strut/axle/truck › Capability exceeded
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,500 hours in all; 25 in this make and model; 60 in the last 90 days; 10 in the last 30 days; 1,450 as pilot in command; 150 on instruments
- Last flight review: October 1, 2007
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,083 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 1, 2006
- Maximum gross weight: 2,550 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470J (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: KCNY Moab UT at 8:00 pm
- Destination: KCNY
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 03, 7,100 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 320° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 50°F (10°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight 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.