Primary finding
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to maintain proper alignment during landing rollout. Factors in the accident were the presence of soft and uneven terrain adjacent to the landing site.
Investigator assessment
Analysis narrative
The pilot planned to examine cattle which were located in the area and to meet with associates. The pilot reported that when he examined the road on which he planned to land from the air it appeared to be satisfactory. The pilot landed on the road, drifted left, entered the soft dirt shoulder, and collided with a rock.
Source record
Factual narrative
On June 25, 1994, at 1000 Pacific daylight time, a Cessna 180, N63419, operated by the pilot, was substantially damaged during landing rollout on a dirt road about 75 miles north of Elko, Nevada. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the business flight. Neither the private pilot nor passenger was injured. The flight originated from Elko, Nevada, at 0930. The pilot reported to the National Transportation Safety Board that he planned to examine cattle which were located in the area and to meet with associates. The pilot stated that when he examined the road from aloft it appeared to be satisfactory for landing. The pilot landed on the road, drifted left, and then entered the soft dirt shoulder. In the pilot's completed Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1, he wrote that he landed too close to a bar pit and hit a rock which broke the left landing gear. The airplane then veered off the road and, as the airplane slowed, its wings and horizontal stabilizer were bent. -