Cessna 182S accident near Meeker, Colorado, July 19, 2011
On July 19, 2011 at about 6:30 pm local time, a Cessna 182S, registered N314FR, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute near Meeker, Colorado. 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 inadvertent flight into a downdraft, which resulted in an in-flight collision with trees.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 19, 2011 · about 6:30 pm local time
- Place
- Meeker, Colorado · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182S · all 182Ss on the register
- Registration
- N314FR · registry record · serial 18280260
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that he departed on a local sightseeing flight. He said that about 5 miles south of the airport at 1,000 feet above ground level, the airplane encountered a strong downdraft and began to descend. The airplane collided with the tops of several trees before the pilot could arrest the descent. The pilot was able to regain control of the airplane and returned to the departure airport without further incident. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the horizontal stabilizer and elevator. The pilot reported no mechanical anomalies 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
- Other weather encounter during enroute
- Controlled flight into terrain or object (CFIT) during enroute defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › (general) › (general) › Effect on operation
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 336 hours in all; 250 in this make and model; 23 in the last 90 days; 18 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: May 27, 2011
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,934 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 23, 2011
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540 SER (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Phds INC
The flight
- Departed from: KEEO Meeker CO
- Destination: KEEO Meeker CO
- Flight plan: not recorded
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 59°F (15°C)
- Altimeter: 30.23 inHg
- Observation at 6:53 pm from KEEO
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.
Other NTSB records under N314FR the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.