Cessna 182Q accident near Grand Junction, Colorado, July 17, 2005
On July 17, 2005 at about 2:30 am local time, a Cessna 182Q, registered N735AC, was destroyed in an accident near Grand Junction, Colorado (Walker Field Airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot's failure to maintain aircraft control during aborted landing and failure to maintain airspeed, which resulted in an inadvertent stall. A contributing factor was the encounter with wind shear during final approach and landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 17, 2005 · about 2:30 am local time
- Place
- Grand Junction, Colorado · Walker Field Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182Q · all 182Qs on the register
- Registration
- N735AC · registry record · serial 18265262
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The instructor pilot said he was on short final when he encountered wind shear and turbulence. He initiated a go-around, failed to maintain control of the airplane, lost airspeed, stalled, and subsequently impacted terrain. According to the tower controller, the airplane was cleared to land on runway 11. While on short final, the airplane encountered a wind gust or downdraft, and the flight instructor reported to the controller he was initiating a go-around. Approximately 200 feet agl, the airplane entered an uncontrolled descent and impacted the runway surface. At 2032, the automated surface observing system (ASOS) reported the wind from 210 degrees at 9 knots, gusting to 37 knots. At 2027, ASOS reported a peak wind at 310 degrees at 37 knots. Cumulonimbus clouds, virga, and wind shear were reported in the area at the time of the accident
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
Flight instructor
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,299 hours in all; 655 in this make and model; 57 in the last 90 days; 43 in the last 30 days; 1,170 as pilot in command; 609 on instruments
- Last flight review: June 1, 2004
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: serious injuries
Dual student
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 173 hours in all; 13 in the last 90 days; 88 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: June 1, 2005
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,118 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, February 1, 2005; 18 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,950 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Teledyne Continental O-470-U (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: GJT Grand Junction CO at 1:45 am
- Destination: GJT
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 11, 10,501 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 210° at 9 knots, gusting 37
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 7,000 ft
- Temperature: 95°F (35°C), dew point 34°F (1°C)
- Altimeter: 29.92 inHg
- Observation at 2:32 pm from GJT
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
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 N735AC 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.