Cessna 180A N7792A accident near Waterville, Washington

Probable cause

The pilot’s failure to maintain directional control during landing roll.

NTSB analysis

The pilot receiving instruction reported that, during an instructional flight in a tailwheel equipped airplane, they were practicing crosswind takeoffs and landings. He performed a wheel landing and touched down left of the runway centerline, and during the landing roll, the left main landing gear contacted residual snow/slush on the runway near the base of a 3-ft tall snow berm. The airplane subsequently veered left and struck the snow berm on the runway edge before it came to rest nose low. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right wing and fuselage. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. At the time of the accident, the pilot was landing on runway 25, with the wind from 160° at 6 knots.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for WPR25LA104 for the full record.