Accident Details
Probable Cause and Findings
The pilot's failure to attain the proper touchdown point, and the excessive airspeed during the approach and landing. A factor was the dirt bank paralleling the airstrip.
Aircraft Information
Registered Owner (Current)
Analysis
On January 22, 1997, at 1200 central standard time, a Cessna 180K, N19694, was substantially damaged following a loss of control while landing on a private airstrip near Valentine, Texas. The private pilot, the sole occupant of the airplane, was not injured. The airplane was registered to and operated by a private owner under Title 14 CFR Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the personal cross country flight which originated from El Paso International Airport, El Paso, Texas. A flight plan was not filed.
The pilot reported during two telephone conversations with the investigator-in-charge that he was landing on a 1,500 foot private dirt airstrip in the bottom of a canyon. The airstrip was dog-leg in shape, turning approximately 30 degrees at the mid-point, with parallel dirt banks on both sides. The pilot further reported that he landed long and was "too fast for the turn in the strip." The tailwheel equipped airplane exited the left side of the airstrip and impacted the dirt bank. The left main gear was separated from the fuselage, and the outer one-third of the left wing was bent upward.
Numerous attempts to obtain a completed Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1/2, were unsuccessful.
Data Source
Data provided by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). For more information on this event, visit the NTSB Records Search website. NTSB# FTW97LA093