Cessna 182 accident near Nephi, Utah, March 30, 2018
On March 30, 2018 at about 6:50 pm local time, a 1980 Cessna 182, registered N5292N, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (flare/touchdown) near Nephi, Utah (Nephi Muni 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 pilot’s failure to maintain a proper landing flare, which resulted in a hard landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 30, 2018 · about 6:50 pm local time
- Place
- Nephi, Utah · Nephi Muni · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182 Q, built 1980 · all 182s on the register
- Registration
- N5292N · registry record · serial 18267624
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that, during the landing flare, the airplane "lurched to the left of the runway, yawed to the right, and nosed down." He added that, as he corrected the airplane parallel with the runway centerline, the airplane "immediately dropped" to the ground and it felt like a "hard landing." He continued the landing roll, taxied clear of the runway, and did a brief check from inside of the airplane for damage. Subsequently, he did not note anything abnormal and proceeded to taxi to the departure airport without further incident. A postflight examination revealed that the airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot further reported that he believed that a tailwind gust may have been responsible for the sideways lurch, and that the airplane may have stalled resulting in the nose pitching down and the hard landing. A commercial weather reporting station for the town, about 3 miles from the accident airport, reported about the time of the accident that the sky was clear, and the wind was southwest at 5 knots. The pilot landed runway 17.
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
- Abnormal runway contact during landing (flare/touchdown) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Landing flare › Not attained/maintained
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 107 hours in all; 37 in this make and model; 4 in the last 90 days; 2 in the last 30 days; 70 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: March 12, 2016
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme
- Maximum gross weight: 2,350 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Cont Motor O-470 SERIES (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: BTF Bountiful UT at 5:30 pm
- Destination: U14 Nephi UT
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 17, 6,300 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 220° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 3 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 57°F (14°C), dew point 30°F (-1°C)
- Altimeter: 30.22 inHg
- Observation at 6:56 pm from KPVU, 30 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 June 12, 2018. 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 Photo (Courtesy of FAA) | 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.