Cessna 182K accident near Hanksville, Utah, March 25, 2000
On March 25, 2000 at about 10:15 pm local time, a Cessna 182K, registered N2722Q, was destroyed in an accident near Hanksville, Utah (Happy Canyon airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot inadvertently allowing the airplane to porpoise after landing hard, and inadvertently stalling the airplane after aborting the landing attempt. Factors were wind gusts, and the pilot failing to reconfigure the airplane (resetting the elevator trim and raising the flaps).
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 25, 2000 · about 10:15 pm local time
- Place
- Hanksville, Utah · Happy Canyon · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182K · all 182Ks on the register
- Registration
- N2722Q · no longer on the register · serial 18257922
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot said the winds were gusting 5 to 15 knots as he made his approach to an abandoned air strip. Just before the airplane touched down, he encountered a downdraft that forced the airplane to the ground. It began to porpoise, and he added power to abort the landing. The airplane lifted off but was trimmed for landing. The pilot said he could not move fast enough to reset the trim and flaps. The airplane rolled to the left and a wind gust rolled it further. The airplane stalled about 50 feet above the ground and hit on its left wing and cartwheeled.
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
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,000 hours in all; 825 in this make and model; 30 in the last 90 days; 1,000 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Unknown (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,800 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 30, 1999; 220 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,800 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: U07 Glen Canyon UT at 8:45 pm
- Destination: NONE
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 24, 2,000 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.