Dornier DO 27 B5 accident near Jackson Hole, Wyoming, July 22, 2012
On July 22, 2012 at about 5:00 pm local time, a Dornier DO 27 B5, registered N780AX, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near Jackson Hole, Wyoming. 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 selection of unsuitable terrain for landing, resulting in the collapse of the main landing gear.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 22, 2012 · about 5:00 pm local time
- Place
- Jackson Hole, Wyoming · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Dornier DO 27 B5 · all DO 27 B5s on the register
- Registration
- N780AX · no longer on the register · serial 391
- 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 during a cross-country flight he was unable to maintain a sufficient climb rate to clear the mountainous terrain, and he initiated an off-airport precautionary landing to a nearby alpine meadow. When the airplane touched down, the left main landing gear collided with a large rock and collapsed. The airplane bounced and touched down a second time before sliding about 150 feet to a stop. The airplane’s fuselage and undercarriage sustained substantial damage during the accident sequence. The pilot reported no mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation.
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 landing
- Landing gear collapse during landing defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Main landing gear › Failure
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Pilot
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Runway/land/takeoff/taxi surfa › (general) › Contributed to outcome
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; single-engine sea
- Flight time: 1,150 hours in all; 30 in this make and model; 60 in the last 90 days; 20 in the last 30 days; 1,130 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: May 13, 2012
- Medical certificate: Class 3
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,293 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 3, 2012; 10 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,080 lb
- Seats: 8
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming GO-480-B1A6 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 46U Alpine WY at 4:15 pm
- Destination: PNA Pinedale WY
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 30 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 15,000 ft
- Temperature: 70°F (21°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.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number WPR12CA319.