Cessna 180 accident near California City, California, May 13, 2016
On May 13, 2016 at about 8:15 pm local time, a 1955 Cessna 180, registered N9370C, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (landing roll) near California City, California (California City airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
A directional upset on landing due to a thermally induced atmospheric disturbance, which the pilot was unable to successfully counter due to improperly set rudder travel limits.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 13, 2016 · about 8:15 pm local time
- Place
- California City, California · California City · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 180 UNDESIGNAT, built 1955 · all 180s on the register
- Registration
- N9370C · registry record · serial 31768
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The day before the accident, a satisfactory annual inspection was completed for the tailwheel-equipped airplane, and the owner/pilot conducted an uneventful flight later that day. The following day, he flew the airplane to another airport to obtain a cost estimate for some "cosmetic" maintenance. The flight was uneventful, but as the airplane touched down about 1315 local time on the desert airport runway, it bounced and then touched down again. On the second touchdown, the airplane veered sharply left, and the pilot was unable to regain directional control. The airplane nosed over onto its back when it exited the paved edge of the runway. Detailed examination of the airplane did not reveal any mechanical reasons for the post-touchdown left swerve. However, the rudder travel stops were found to be set so that the rudder travel limits were 16° right and 13° left, instead of the manufacturer-specified value of 24° in each direction. After that examination, the pilot reported that the "cosmetic" maintenance he was planning was to correct a top-to-bottom curvature (bow) in the rudder that resulted in an approximate 1.5-inch misalignment between the top and bottom of the rudder. According to the pilot, that bow was either a direct result of a 1974 accident or the consequent improper repair. Because the airplane had been operated uneventfully for 42 years with the deformed rudder, it is unlikely that this deformity caused the left veer. The airplane likely initially veered left due to an encounter with an atmospheric phenomenon common in desert environments on hot afternoons. These thermally induced air disturbances tend to be strong, highly localized, and short term but unpredictable and often undetectable. Thus, the pilot had no means to detect the air disturbance until he encountered it and then the improperly set rudder travel limits significantly reduced his ability to counter the resulting directional upset.
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
- Loss of control on ground during landing (landing roll) defining event
- Runway excursion during landing (landing roll)
- Nose over/nose down during landing (landing roll)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Wind › (general) › Effect on operation
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Flight control system › Rudder control system › Not specified
- cause Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Temp/humidity/pressure › Thermal lifting › Effect on operation
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Directional control › Attain/maintain not possible
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,433 hours in all; 105 in this make and model; 31 in the last 90 days; 7 in the last 30 days; 1,307 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: April 10, 2015
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,271 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 12, 2016; 1 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,550 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Cont Motor O-470 SERIES (piston); 2,271 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MIT Shafter CA at 7:30 pm
- Destination: L71 California City CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 24, 6,027 ft by 60 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 200° at 15 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 90°F (32°C), dew point 25°F (-4°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:20 pm from MHV, 9 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flig | 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 WPR16LA108.