Cessna 182R accident near Rockwall, Texas, November 12, 2020
On November 12, 2020 at about 7:06 pm local time, a 1981 Cessna 182R, registered N7306H, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (aborted after touchdown) near Rockwall, Texas (Rockwall Municipal Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s decision to continue an unstabilized approach and his delayed go-around decision, which resulted in the airplane’s impact with power lines and the ground. Contributing to the accident was the inaccurate wind direction reporting as a result of a misaligned crossarm on the weather reporting station.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 12, 2020 · about 7:06 pm local time
- Place
- Rockwall, Texas · Rockwall Municipal Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182R, built 1981 · all 182Rs on the register
- Registration
- N7306H · no longer on the register · serial 18267901
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was on approach to the destination airport and elected to land on runway 35, which was the opposite direction of other aircraft in the traffic pattern. A pilot in the traffic pattern reported that he made radio transmissions to the accident pilot to inform him that runway 17 was in use, but the accident pilot did not respond. Multiple surveillance cameras captured the accident sequence and showed that the airplane did not touch down on the runway until about one-half way down the usable runway area. After the airplane touched down and passed the segmented circle, smoke from the main landing gear wheels could briefly be seen. Immediately afterward, the airplane overran the departure end of the runway and descended toward lower terrain before the airplane ascended slightly and impacted power lines that were located about 440 ft north of the departure end of the runway. The airplane impacted the ground in a right-wing-low attitude and sustained substantial damage to both wings and the fuselage. A postaccident inspection of the automated weather observing system revealed that a missing mounting screw allowed the crossarm to be misaligned at some point before the accident. As a result, the wind was reported as 30° to 40° to the west of the actual wind direction at the time of the accident flight. This misalignment resulted in the airplane landing with a slight tailwind as opposed to the headwind the pilot was expecting based upon the reported wind condition.
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
- Collision during takeoff/land during landing (aborted after touchdown) defining event
- Abnormal runway contact during landing
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Pilot
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Wire › Contributed to outcome
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Wind › Tailwind › Accuracy of related info
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,175 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
Pilot-Rated Passenger
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 600 hours in all
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Cont Motor O-470 SERIES (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: KABI Abilene TX at 5:39 pm
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 35, 3,373 ft by 45 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 290° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 7,000 ft
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 54°F (12°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 12:55 pm from KF46
Weather report (METAR): KF46 121855Z AUTO 29006KT 10SM BKN070 23/12 A3000 RMK AO2 T02260124
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
13 documents, released by the NTSB on June 9, 2022. 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 | Exam Summary | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Witness | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Flight Track | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 4 | ADS-B Data | spreadsheet | Download |
| 5 | Meteorology Specialist's Factual Report | PDF, 8 pages | View Download |
| 6 | Attachment 1 to the Meteorology Specialist's Factual Report | PDF, 12 pages | View Download |
| 7 | Attachment 2 to the Meteorology Specialist's Factual Report | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 8 | Attachment 3 to the Meteorology Specialist's Factual Report | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 9 | Photos | PDF, 3 pages | View Download |
| 10 | Pilot 1 Toxicology | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 11 | Pilot 2 Toxicology | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 12 | Autopsy Memo | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 13 | Medical Officer Toxicology Review | PDF, 2 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.
