Cessna 182P accident near Del Rio, Texas, August 20, 2010
On August 20, 2010 at about 5:00 pm local time, a Cessna 182P, registered N1289S, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (flare/touchdown) near Del Rio, Texas (Bar C Ranch 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 monitor his altitude while making a visual approach, which resulted in landing short of the runway and subsequent collision with terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 20, 2010 · about 5:00 pm local time
- Place
- Del Rio, Texas · Bar C Ranch · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182P · all 182Ps on the register
- Registration
- N1289S · no longer on the register · serial 18264856
- 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 attempting to land his single-engine airplane on a private dirt strip when he got distracted by a cow that was adjacent to and moving toward the runway. Not paying attention to his glide path, the pilot made a lower than normal approach and landed short of the runway by about 5 to 10 feet. The airplane struck some rocks on a rise in the terrain and subsequently flipped over. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the nose and vertical tail, and showed wrinkles to the wings and fuselage. 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
- Landing area undershoot during landing (flare/touchdown) defining event
- Collision during takeoff/land during landing (flare/touchdown)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Pilot
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Incorrect action performance › Pilot
- Personnel issues › Psychological › Attention/monitoring › Task monitoring/vigilance › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 121 hours in all; 118 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 3
The aircraft
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Cont Motor O-470 SERIES (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Mid Valley LLC
The flight
- Departed from: T65 Wesaco TX at 2:35 pm
- Destination: None Del Rio TX
- Flight plan: not recorded
- Runway 15
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.