Cessna 180 accident near Blanding, Utah, April 24, 2008
On April 24, 2008 at about 4:30 pm local time, a Cessna 180, registered N180XP, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (landing roll) near Blanding, Utah (Blanding Municipal 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 fatigue failure of the right main landing gear leg during the landing roll.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 24, 2008 · about 4:30 pm local time
- Place
- Blanding, Utah · Blanding Municipal · 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
- N180XP · registry record · serial 32494
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During the landing roll, the pilot began to apply right rudder and right brake in order to compensate for the airplane turning to the left. During that sequence, the right main landing gear leg separated from the airframe at the point where it protrudes from the fuselage. The airplane then slid off the runway onto the surrounding soft terrain. An inspection of the gear leg by the NTSB Materials Laboratory determined that the metallurgical features discovered on the right main landing gear leg were consistent with separation due to a fatigue fracture that had initiated in a corrosion pit under a gear leg clamping mechanism. In addition to the fatigue region at the origin area, three smaller fatigue regions were detected within the shear lip of the fracture.
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
- Aircraft structural failure during landing (landing roll) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Main landing gear › Failure
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Main landing gear › Fatigue/wear/corrosion
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 800 hours in all; 100 in this make and model; 49 in the last 90 days; 22 in the last 30 days; 700 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: September 28, 2007
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,338 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 5, 2008
- Maximum gross weight: 2,550 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Cont Motor O-470-K (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Eagle City UT at 4:00 pm
- Destination: KBDG Blanding UT
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 35, 6,000 ft by 75 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 55°F (13°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.