Cessna 182C accident near Port Moller, Alaska, May 22, 2022
On May 22, 2022 at about 3:30 pm local time, a 1960 Cessna 182C, registered N757R, was substantially damaged in an accident during takeoff near Port Moller, Alaska (Bear River Lodge airport). It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s inadequate preflight inspection, which did not detect a screw in the control yoke column, and his failure to confirm flight control continuity before takeoff.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 22, 2022 · about 3:30 pm local time
- Place
- Port Moller, Alaska · Bear River Lodge · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182C, built 1960 · all 182Cs on the register
- Registration
- N757R · registry record · serial 52554
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that he remembered only portions of the accident sequence due to injuries sustained in the accident. He said that during takeoff from a remote, grass-covered site, as the airplane accelerated, he recalled discovering that there was no elevator control when he moved the control yoke aft. The next thing he remembered was being upside-down in the airplane immediately after the accident. The airplane subsequently impacted terrain, sustaining substantial damage to the fuselage, wings, and vertical stabilizer. After the accident, a camp helper told the pilot that due to windy conditions the prior evening, he had placed a large screw through the hole in the control yoke column, but he had forgotten to tell him. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
What happened, in order
- Loss of control in flight during takeoff defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Inspection › Preflight inspection › Pilot
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Use of equip/system › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: helicopter; instructor: instrument airplane; instructor: instrument helicopter; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 35,949 hours in all; 15,000 in this make and model; 130 in the last 90 days; 85 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: March 20, 2022
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 1, 2022; 15 hours since
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Cont Motor O-470 SERIES (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Destination: Z52 Port Moller AK
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 290° at 20 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat
- Temperature: 50°F (10°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Observation at 7:00 am
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
2 documents, released by the NTSB on January 30, 2023. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Photos | PDF, 3 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.