Cessna 182D accident near Hamlet, Nebraska, November 24, 2015
On November 24, 2015 at about 11:15 pm local time, a 1961 Cessna 182D, registered N8983X, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (landing roll) near Hamlet, Nebraska (Private Airstrip 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
The student pilot's incorrect brake application which resulted in a runway excursion and a nose over.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 24, 2015 · about 11:15 pm local time
- Place
- Hamlet, Nebraska · Private Airstrip · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182D D, built 1961 · all 182Ds on the register
- Registration
- N8983X · no longer on the register · serial 18253383
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The solo student pilot reported that during touchdown, near the approach end of the runway, the airplane bounced and floated. When the airplane came back down onto the airstrip, the pilot said he applied the brakes and the airplane pulled hard to the right. The airplane departed the airstrip to the right, crossed a ditch, the nose wheel separated, and the airplane nosed over. The airplane sustained substantial damage to both wings, the right wing lift strut, and the empennage. The student pilot reported there were no pre-impact mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation.
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
- Loss of control on ground during landing (landing roll) defining event
- Runway excursion during landing (landing roll)
- Nose over/nose down during landing (landing roll)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Student/instructed pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Aircraft capability › Braking capability › Incorrect use/operation
Dual student
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 35 hours in all; 30 in this make and model; 30 in the last 90 days; 15 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: October 14, 2015
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,817.9 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, September 1, 2015
- Maximum gross weight: 2,650 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-L (piston); 3,818 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: IML Imperial NE at 11:00 pm
- Destination: None Hamlet NE
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 31, 1,400 ft by 70 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 140° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 37°F (3°C), dew point 27°F (-3°C)
- Altimeter: 29.78 inHg
- Observation at 11:53 pm from KIML, 20 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
2 documents, released by the NTSB on March 7, 2016. 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, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Accident Photos (Courtesy of FAA) | PDF, 2 pages | 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.