Cessna 182T accident near Rangely, Colorado, April 22, 2009
On April 22, 2009 at about 8:00 pm local time, a Cessna 182T, registered N345TJ, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (flare/touchdown) near Rangely, Colorado (Rangely Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain directional control while landing with a crosswind.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 22, 2009 · about 8:00 pm local time
- Place
- Rangely, Colorado · Rangely Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182T · all 182Ts on the register
- Registration
- N345TJ · registry record · serial 18281469
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The private pilot was on a cross country flight in his single-engine airplane when he decided to make a unscheduled stop at another airport to use the rest room. During landing, when the airplane was approximately 20-feet-above the ground, it encountered a light crosswind from the right. The pilot compensated but the airplane drifted further to the left. The airplane contacted the runway and bounced three times before it went off the left side of and collided with taxiway identifier sign. The airplane came to an abrupt stop but remained upright. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical deficiencies with the airplane.
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 landing (flare/touchdown) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Incorrect action performance › Pilot
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Wind › Crosswind › Response/compensation
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 184 hours in all; 20 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Unknown
The aircraft
- Maximum gross weight: 3,100 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540 SER (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Global Lease Finance LLC
The flight
- Departed from: LAR Laramie WY
- Destination: 4V0 Rangely CO
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 24
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
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.