Cessna 182 accident near Richmond, Virginia, July 7, 2023
On July 7, 2023 at about 6:51 pm local time, a 1977 Cessna 182, registered N759HD, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (flare/touchdown) near Richmond, Virginia (Richmond Executive-Chesterfiel airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s delay in performing a go-around after a likely encounter with low-level wind shear, resulting in a hard landing. Contributing to the accident were the pilot’s failure to recognize the severity of the actual and forecasted weather near the airport and his continued approach to the airport with a thunderstorm and associated convective activity.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 7, 2023 · about 6:51 pm local time
- Place
- Richmond, Virginia · Richmond Executive-Chesterfiel · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182 Q, built 1977 · all 182s on the register
- Registration
- N759HD · registry record · serial 18265999
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot and one passenger were on an instrument flight rules (IFR) flight plan, but the pilot cancelled the IFR clearance near the destination airport and proceeded under visual flight rules (VFR) even though there were nearby thunderstorms with associated convective activity. He reported that during the approach and while in ground effect, the winds were 5 to 10 knots with no turbulence, and he had at least one notch of flaps extended. During the flare to land the airplane abruptly pitched up without command and then nosed down, bouncing the airplane off the nose. The pilot added full throttle to abort the bounced landing and climbed to the traffic pattern altitude. He performed a right turn instead of a left turn due to the location of a rain cloud on the left side of the runway. He remained in right traffic for the runway and, when preparing to flare, a wind gust pushed the airplane across the runway. He performed a go-around but, because the rain cloud was no longer on the left side of the runway, he made standard left traffic for the runway. The pilot then landed uneventfully and taxied to the ramp. Postaccident examination of the airplane’s flight controls revealed no evidence of any preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. Based on this information, it is likely that while flaring to land, the airplane encountered low-level wind shear associated with a forecasted nearby thunderstorm. The airplane then descended and landed hard on the nose landing gear, substantially damaging the airplane’s fuselage.
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
- Windshear or thunderstorm during landing (flare/touchdown)
- Hard landing during landing (flare/touchdown) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Delayed action › Pilot
- Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Understanding/comprehension › Pilot
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Wind › Windshear › Decision related to condition
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Convective weather › Thunderstorm › Decision related to condition
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 573 hours in all; 28 in this make and model; 11 in the last 90 days; 4 in the last 30 days; 500 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: May 31, 2022
- Medical certificate: BasicMed (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,806 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 20, 2023; 26 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,950 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-U (piston); 1,806 hours total
- Operator: Wingnuts Flying Club
The flight
- Departed from: HSP Hot Springs VA at 5:39 pm
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 15, 5,500 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 4,400 ft; scat at 3,400 ft
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 75°F (24°C)
- Observation at 2:56 pm from KFCI, 1 miles away
Weather report (METAR): KFCI 071856Z AUTO 10SM TSRA SCT034 BKN044 OVC060 26/24 RMK AO2 LTG DSNT N-SE RAB37 SLPNO T02560239 PNO $
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
8 documents, released by the NTSB on June 26, 2024. 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 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 11 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Record of NTSB Conversation | PDF, 5 pages | View Download |
| 3 | FAA Inspector Statement | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 4 | NTSB Memorandum for Record - Weather Information | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 5 | Memorandum for Record - Preflight Weather Briefing Information | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 6 | Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Automatic Dependent Surveillance A�� Broadcast (ADS-B) Tabular Data | spreadsheet | Download |
| 7 | Investigative Photograph | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 8 | Release of Aircraft Wreckage, NTSB Form 6120.15 | PDF, 1 page | 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.
