Cessna 182M accident near Cortez, Colorado, April 8, 2005
On April 8, 2005 at about 4:00 pm local time, a Cessna 182M, registered N92112, was substantially damaged in an accident near Cortez, Colorado (Cortez-Montezuma County airport). It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot's failure to maintain aircraft control during the landing flare. Contributing factors include the pilot's improper in-flight planning/decision making, the crosswind and the gusty surface winds.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 8, 2005 · about 4:00 pm local time
- Place
- Cortez, Colorado · Cortez-Montezuma County · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182M · all 182Ms on the register
- Registration
- N92112 · registry record · serial 18260049
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot encountered windshear during the landing flare to runway 21. The pilot reported that he added power as he descended; however, the airplane continued to descend "rapidly." The airplane impacted the runway, bounced several times, and departed the runway to the right. During the impact, the nose landing gear assembly collapsed and the propeller struck the runway, causing substantial damage. An examination of the airplanes systems revealed no anomalies. According to the METAR (routine aviation weather report) the winds at the time of the accident were reported as 170 degrees at 19 knots with gusts to 25 knots. The crosswind component calculated for the time of the accident ranged from 12 to 16 knots.
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: 1,124 hours in all; 767 in this make and model; 14 in the last 90 days; 6 in the last 30 days; 984 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: July 16, 2004
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,973 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 1, 2004; 30 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,100 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-R (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SDL Scottsdale AZ at 2:10 pm
- Destination: CEZ Cortez CO
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 21, 7,205 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 170° at 19 knots, gusting 25
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 23°F (-5°C)
- Altimeter: 29.70 inHg
- Observation at 4:53 pm from CEZ, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
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.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number DEN05CA067.