Cessna 180G accident near Wendover, Utah, March 27, 2009
On March 27, 2009 at about 10:45 pm local time, a Cessna 180G, registered N98FC, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (landing roll) near Wendover, Utah (Wendover 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
A loss of directional control during landing as a result of the binding in one main landing gear brake assembly due to incorrect maintenance procedures. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's failure to correctly reconfigure the airplane during an attempted rejected landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 27, 2009 · about 10:45 pm local time · cases in 2009
- Place
- Wendover, Utah · Wendover Airport · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 180G · all 180Gs on the register
- Registration
- N98FC · registry record · serial 18051396
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The tailwheel-equipped airplane began veering to the right immediately after touchdown and the pilot's corrective rudder inputs could not bring it back in line with the runway. He therefore initiated a rejected landing, but did not correctly reconfigure the airplane for takeoff. The pilot ultimately aborted the rejected takeoff, but during his attempt to bring the airplane to a stop it nosed over in rough terrain off the side of the runway. The investigation revealed that there was a lack of free rotational movement (binding) in the right main gear brake assembly. The wheel was hard to turn by hand, with the resistance to free movement due to the pressure being applied to the brake rotor by the new brake pads that were installed about three to four flight hours prior to the accident. A postaccident interview with the mechanic who installed the pads determined that after the installation of the pads, the wheel was not jacked up off of the ground so that free movement of the rotor and wheel could be established. Instead, the determination of free movement was made based upon the fact that no resistance was noted when the airplane was pushed out of the hangar by hand. At the time the airplane was rolled out of the hangar the brake rotor was at ambient temperature. Shims are available to insert between the two halves of the brake caliper upon reassembly, and one should have been installed in this situation in order to reduce the amount of resistance present without pilot brake application.
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 maintenance event during prior to flight
- Sys/Comp malf/fail (non-power) during landing (landing roll) defining event
- Loss of control on ground during landing (landing roll)
- Nose over/nose down during landing (landing roll)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Landing gear brakes system › Malfunction other cases naming the landing gear
- factor Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Incorrect action performance › Pilot
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Maintenance › Installation › Maintenance personnel
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Brake › Incorrect service/maintenance other cases naming the landing gear
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Terrain › Rough terrain › Contributed to outcome
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,170 hours in all; 70 in this make and model; 35 in the last 90 days; 7 in the last 30 days; 1,070 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: December 27, 2007
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 10,507 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 5, 2009
- Maximum gross weight: 2,800 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Cont Motor O-470 SERIES (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: KENV Wendover UT at 10:30 pm
- Destination: KENV Wendover UT
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 08, 8,001 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 060° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 45°F (7°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.20 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
1 document, released by the NTSB on July 2, 2009. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Other NTSB records under N98FC the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N98FC on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Cessna 180 Skywagon 2,604 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Cessna 72,685 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Cont Motor O-470 SERIES 12,780 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Wendover Airport · nearest airport
- Accidents and incidents in Utah 1,440 since 1982 · 264 in the last ten years
- Utah 8,356 aircraft registered
- Other NTSB records under N98FC 1 records · the number may have belonged to another aircraft at the time
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/WPR09LA167.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.