Cessna TR182 accident near Telluride, Colorado, August 24, 1996
On August 24, 1996, a Cessna TR182, registered N757QT, was substantially damaged in an accident near Telluride, Colorado (Telluride Regional airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
failure of the generator control unit (GCU), which resulted in a total electrical failure and failure of the main landing gear to lock in place.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 24, 1996
- Place
- Telluride, Colorado · Telluride Regional · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna TR182 · all TR182s on the register
- Registration
- N757QT · registry record · serial R18201258
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
As the pilot lowered the landing gear, there was a total electrical failure. He said he could not recall if he observed a GEAR DOWN AND LOCKED indication. He attempted to reset the alternator/voltage regulator circuit breaker, but to no avail. During the landing, the main landing gear collapsed, but the nose landing gear remained down and locked. The airplane skidded off the runway, damaging the left horizontal stabilizer forward and aft spars. Postaccident examination by a repair facility (and later confirmed by the manufacturer) disclosed the generator control unit (GCU) had failed.
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
- Flight time: 460 hours in all; 371 in this make and model; 49 in the last 90 days; 17 in the last 30 days; 460 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,710 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 3, 1995; 69 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming O-540-L3C5D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: FNL Loveland CO at 11:00 pm
- Destination: TEX
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 9, 6,870 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 25 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 5,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 68°F (20°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:50 pm from TEX
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.
Other NTSB records under N757QT 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.