Skip to content

Atlas / NTSB / CHI95LA168

NTSB CAROL · Event

Event CHI95LA168

1995-05-25 EVELETH, Minnesota, United States Airport · 9Y5 None 1 aircraft Status: Completed

Registry · N8611X

FAA Aircraft Registry record.

Make / Model

CESSNA 180D

Year of manufacture

1961 · 34 years old at event

Engine

CONT MOTOR O-470 SERIES (230 hp)

Seats / Engines

4 seats · 1 engine

Last airworthiness date

19610211

ADS-B equipped

Yes — Mode-S ABD51F

Registrant of record

WILLIAMS JOHN R

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

the pilot's improper setting of the flaps to the 30 degree position and an excessive descent rate during the landing.

Factual narrative

On May 25, 1995, at 0804 central daylight time, a Cessna 180D, sustained substantial damage during landing at the Sky Harbor Seaplane Base in Eveleth, Minnesota. The private pilot and two passengers reported no injuries. The personal, 14 CFR Part 91 flight originated in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and an IFR flight plan was filed. In his written statement the pilot reported that he used what he believed was 20 degrees of flaps and turned onto final approach at an airspeed of 80 knots with the power set at 15 inches of manifold pressure. As he flew over the trees prior to the threshold, he heard the stall warning indicator. He applied full power and the airplane impacted the runway. The airplane bounced and the right wing impacted bushes along the side of the runway. The pilot reported that he examined the airplane following the accident and discovered the flaps were in the 30 degree position. He reported that he had never landed the airplane in this configuration before. IN HIS WRITTEN STATEMENT THE PILOT REPORTED THAT HE USED WHAT HE BELIEVED WAS 20 DEGREES OF FLAPS AND TURNED ONTO FINAL APPROACH AT AN AIRSPEED OF 80 KNOTS WITH THE POWER SET AT 15 INCHES OF MANIFOLD PRESSURE. AS HE FLEW OVER THE TREES PRIOR TO THE THRESHOLD, HE HEARD THE STALL WARNING INDICATOR. HE APPLIED FULL POWER AND THE AIRPLANE IMPACTED THE RUNWAY. THE AIRPLANE BOUNCED AND THE RIGHT WING IMPACTED BUSHES ALONG THE SIDE OF THE RUNWAY. THE PILOT REPORTED THAT HE EXAMINED THE AIRPLANE FOLLOWING THE ACCIDENT AND DISCOVERED THE FLAPS WERE IN THE 30 DEGREE POSITION. HE REPORTED THAT HE HAD NEVER LANDED THE AIRPLANE IN THIS CONFIGURATION BEFORE. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_1995_CHI95LA168.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

Related research

What the literature says.

Academic papers and agency reports matching this event's aircraft type or causal vocabulary (stall). Sourced from NASA NTRS, NTSB Safety Studies, FAA CAMI, AOPA Air Safety Institute, Embry-Riddle Scholarly Commons, arXiv, and the Semantic Scholar academic graph.

Browse the full corpus — academia portal ↗