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ERA16CA128

2016-03-13 · South Burlington, Vermont, United States · Serious · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport BTV

Current FAA registration · N9925N

Make / Model
CESSNA 180J
Year of manufacture
1975 · 41 years old at event
Engine
CONT MOTOR O-470 SERIES (230 hp)
Seats / Engines
6 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date
19750307
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S ADDD25

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The pilot's failure to maintain airplane control during takeoff roll, which resulted in a nose over.

Factual narrative

The pilot of the tailwheel-equipped airplane reported that during takeoff roll the airplane encountered a gust of wind from the left side. He said that he "dipped" the left wing in an attempt to counter the wind gust but lost control of the airplane, flipped over nose first and impacted the runway. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the vertical stabilizer. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot of the tailwheel-equipped airplane reported that during takeoff roll the airplane encountered a gust of wind from the left side. He said that he "dipped" the left wing in an attempt to counter the wind gust but lost control of the airplane, flipped over nose first and impacted the runway. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the vertical stabilizer. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

  • C Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot - C
  • C Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Directional control-Not attained/maintained - C
  • — Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Wind-Gusts-Effect on operation

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2016_ERA16CA128.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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