Cessna 182P accident near Bolivar, Missouri, August 18, 2015
On August 18, 2015 at about 3:25 pm local time, a 1971 Cessna 182P, registered N6KW, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute (cruise) near Bolivar, Missouri (Bolivar Muni airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
Total electrical failure due to a failed voltage regulator and the pilot’s failure to maintain a proper airspeed during a precautionary landing, which resulted in a loss of directional control and a runway excursion.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 18, 2015 · about 3:25 pm local time
- Place
- Bolivar, Missouri · Bolivar Muni · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182P, built 1971 · all 182Ps on the register
- Registration
- N6KW · no longer on the register · serial 18260831
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During cruise flight, the airplane experienced a total electrical failure. The private pilot diverted to the closest airport and conducted a no-flap landing, during which the airspeed was too high. The airplane subsequently departed the runway, struck a ditch, and nosed over, coming to rest inverted. The voltage regulator failed a postaccident functional test. The accident is consistent with the loss of electrical power due to a failed voltage regulator and the pilot's improper execution of a precautionary landing.
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
- Electrical system malf/failure during enroute (cruise) defining event
- Landing area overshoot during landing
- Runway excursion during landing
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing
- Nose over/nose down during landing
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Electrical power system › DC regulator › Failure
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Airspeed › Not attained/maintained
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 185 hours in all; 90 in this make and model; 27 in the last 90 days; 16 in the last 30 days; 108 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: November 29, 2013
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: JLN Joplin MO
- Destination: SUS St Louis MO
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 36, 4,000 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 210° at 12 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 8,000 ft
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 70°F (21°C)
- Altimeter: 29.87 inHg
- Observation at 2:52 pm from KSGF, 21 miles away
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.