The pilot in the tailwheel-equipped Cessna 180 reported that, at dusk, he made a wheel landing on a mountain area asphalt runway in Morgan, Utah.
He recalled that shortly after a normal touchdown, during the landing roll, the tail lifted, and the nose of the airplane veered to the right. He applied rudder to correct the airplane’s heading back to the runway centerline, but he overcorrected, and the plane departed the left side of the runway.
He aborted the landing, and the airplane began to climb, but the left wing hit a “large bush” and the plane then hit terrain.
The airplane sustained substantial damage to both wings, the empennage, and the elevator.
The pilot reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Probable Cause: The pilot’s failure to maintain directional control during the landing roll, which resulted in a runway excursion and an attempted aborted landing and impact with bushes and terrain.
Obviously a thoughtful/careful pilot but caught with some wind that caused an uncorrected swerve. The attempted go-around was too late. The narrative reads in the passive voice – “(it happened!” This pilot was continuously behind the plane, perhaps too focused inside and more passenger than pilot.
This April 2019 accident report is provided by the National Transportation Safety Board. Published as an educational tool, it is intended to help pilots learn from the misfortunes of others.
