Cessna 182P accident near Wentworth, New Hampshire, May 24, 1997
On May 24, 1997 at about 2:45 pm local time, a Cessna 182P, registered N20892, was substantially damaged in an accident near Wentworth, New Hampshire. 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
Pilot's inadequate preflight planning to determine the suitability of an unimproved field for landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 24, 1997 · about 2:45 pm local time
- Place
- Wentworth, New Hampshire
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182P · all 182Ps on the register
- Registration
- N20892 · no longer on the register · serial 18261291
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The private pilot asked the owner of a field conveniently located to his business for permission to land. The pilot stated that he landed on grass runways previously, but never on unimproved surfaces. His preparation for the flight did not include an examination of the field conditions prior to the landing attempt. On landing rollout, the pilot stated that the field seemed rougher than anticipated. At 25 knots, the nose gear dug into a soft portion of the ground and the airplane flipped, coming to rest inverted.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 654 hours in all; 359 in this make and model; 61 in the last 90 days; 17 in the last 30 days; 609 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,909 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 18, 1996; 100 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,950 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-R-25 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: NH12 Plymouth NH at 2:30 pm
- Destination: NONE
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 270° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 8,000 ft; scat at 5,500 ft
- Temperature: 54°F (12°C), dew point 36°F (2°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:52 pm from BML, 20 miles away
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.
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.