Cessna 182E accident near Austin, Colorado, February 23, 2006
On February 23, 2006 at about 5:59 pm local time, a Cessna 182E, registered N9298X, was destroyed in an accident near Austin, Colorado. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 3 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot's failure to maintain clearance from the transmission wire resulting in the airplane's outboard wing portion to be severed, and the subsequent loss of control and ground impact. Factors contributing to the accident were the pilot's impairment from his recent marijuana use and the transmission wire.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 23, 2006 · about 5:59 pm local time
- Place
- Austin, Colorado · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 3 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182E · all 182Es on the register
- Registration
- N9298X · no longer on the register · serial 18253698
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
A witness said he "heard the airplane buzz the ranch." The witness said the airplane then flew into the power lines. After striking the power lines there was extensive damage to the airplane. Another witness said he saw and heard the airplane "buzz the ranch." He said the airplane came in once and was closer to the river (Gunnison River). The airplane came over the ranch a second time, but was closer to the house and orchard where the power lines ran. The witness heard the impact and then saw the airplane "cartwheeling" in the field. An examination of the airplane revealed no systems anomalies. Levels of TETRAHYDROCANNABINOL (MARIHUANA) and TETRAHYDROCANNABINOL CARBOXYLIC ACID (MARIHUANA) reported on FAA toxicology testing suggest that the pilot had used marijuana very recently in relation to the time of the accident, likely within 3 hours, and that the pilot was impaired by its effects 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
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,559 hours in all; 606 in this make and model; 18 in the last 90 days; 12 in the last 30 days; 1,312 as pilot in command; 312 on instruments
- Last flight review: November 1, 2004
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,446.1 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 1, 2005
- Maximum gross weight: 2,800 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-R (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: TEX Telluride CO at 4:00 pm
- Destination: Austin CO
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 37°F (3°C), dew point 12°F (-11°C)
- Altimeter: 30.26 inHg
- Observation at 6:53 pm from KMTJ, 12 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.
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.