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Accidents · NTSB WPR12CA170 · Final report

Cessna 180F accident near Mccall, Idaho, April 15, 2012

On April 15, 2012 at about 10:00 pm local time, a Cessna 180F, registered N2157Z, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (landing roll) near Mccall, Idaho (Mccall Municipal Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).

The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged

The pilot did not maintain directional control 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 15, 2012 · about 10:00 pm local time
Place
Mccall, Idaho · Mccall Municipal Airport · map
Type
Accident
Injuries
No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
Weather
visual conditions (good weather)
Aircraft
Cessna 180F · all 180Fs on the register
Registration
N2157Z · registry record · serial 18051257
Damage
Substantial damage
Flight
Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)

The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record

The pilot said that he was landing with a right gusty crosswind, which had a slight tailwind component. During the landing roll, a gust of wind lifted the airplane’s right wing, and the airplane veered off the right side of the runway. When the airplane rolled onto soft soil, it nosed over onto its back. The airplane’s left wing strut, about 3 feet of the left wing tip, and the vertical stabilizer were bent and wrinkled.

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

  1. Loss of control on ground during landing (landing roll) defining event
  2. Runway excursion during landing (landing roll)
  3. Nose over/nose down during landing (landing roll)

The NTSB's findings

  • cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
  • Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Wind › Crosswind › Contributed to outcome
  • Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Wind › Tailwind › Contributed to outcome
  • cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Directional control › Not attained/maintained

Pilot

  • Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
  • Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
  • Flight time: 2,977 hours in all; 1,580 in this make and model
  • Last flight review: June 22, 2011
  • Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
  • Seat: rgt
  • Injury: no injuries

The aircraft

  • Airframe total time: 5,710 hours
  • Last inspection: annual inspection
  • Maximum gross weight: 2,950 lb
  • Seats: 4
  • Landing gear: fixed
  • Engine: Cont Motor O-470 SERIES (piston); 0 hours total

The flight

  • Departed from: MYL Mccall ID at 9:30 pm
  • Destination: MYL Mccall ID
  • Flight plan: none
  • Runway 16, 6,108 ft by 75 ft

Weather at the time

  • Light: daylight
  • Wind: from 260° at 12 knots
  • Visibility: 10 statute miles
  • Sky: overcast
  • Temperature: 48°F (9°C), dew point 16°F (-9°C)
  • Altimeter: 30.04 inHg
  • Observation at 3:51 pm from MYL

Injuries

FatalSeriousMinorNone
Flight crew1
Passengers2

Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report

1 document, released by the NTSB on April 27, 2012. 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.

The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.

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.