Cessna 180A N9780B

Summary

On 5 July 1999 at about 17:40 local time, a Cessna 180A registered N9780B was involved in an accident near White Bear Lake, Minnesota, United States. 4 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

5 July 1999 at 17:40

Classification

Accident

Location

White Bear Lake, Minnesota, United States

Coordinates

45.0892, -93.0093

Aircraft

Cessna 180A

Registration

N9780B

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Forest Lake → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CHI99LA209

Nobody was injured.

the pilot's inability to get the airplane to climb for undetermined reason, and the pilot landing the floatplane on the lake with the wheels extended. Factors contributing to this accident were the pilot's failure to perform a before landing checklist, pressure induced by the event, and the precautionary landing.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

Shortly after takeoff, the pilot noted that the airplane was not climbing normally. He said that he could not maintain a comfortable airspeed to raise the wheels on the floats. He became distracted with trying to maintain a flying airspeed of 85 miles per hour and an altitude of 300 feet agl. 'The plane was indicating normal temperatures and pressures. The only noticeable differences were vibrations until the propeller was dialed back to 2,500 rpm and [the] manifold pressure was pulled to 25 inches [of Mercury (HG)].' The pilot cleared the landing lane on the lake and made the landing area. He said that he did not perform a before landing check and that the landing gear (wheels) were still extended out of the floats. On contact with the water, the airplane nosed over. Examination of the airplane revealed that the wheels were fully extended on the floats. Examination of the engine and other airplane systems revealed no anomalies.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.