Cessna 182Q accident near Rutland, Vermont, June 1, 2002
On June 1, 2002 at about 5:00 pm local time, a Cessna 182Q, registered N97996, was substantially damaged in an accident near Rutland, Vermont (Rutland State 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 attain the proper touchdown point. A factor was the crosswind
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 1, 2002 · about 5:00 pm local time
- Place
- Rutland, Vermont · Rutland State Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182Q · all 182Qs on the register
- Registration
- N97996 · no longer on the register · serial 182-67274
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The winds were reported as being from the west, about 20 knots. The pilot elected to land on runway 01 instead of runway 31 because it was longer. She aborted the first landing attempt because she was too high. On the second landing attempt, the airplane floated down the runway, and the pilot had difficulty getting it on the ground. Once on the ground, she did not have sufficient runway remaining to abort the landing successfully. She pumped the brakes as hard as she could, but could not stop the airplane from going off the end of the 5,000-foot-long, 100-foot- wide asphalt runway. The airplane traveled down a steep embankment, and flipped over.
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: 165 hours in all; 47 in this make and model; 13 in the last 90 days; 8 in the last 30 days; 86 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection
- Maximum gross weight: 2,950 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-470 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: BVT Burlington VT at 4:00 pm
- Destination: RUT Rutland VT
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 01, 5,000 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 260° at 10 knots, gusting 23
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 8,000 ft
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 46°F (8°C)
- Altimeter: 29.47 inHg
- Observation at 5:15 pm from RUT
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 N97996 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.