Cessna 182L accident near Coulterville, California, February 14, 2000
On February 14, 2000 at about 5:45 pm local time, a Cessna 182L, registered N3324R, was destroyed in an accident near Coulterville, California. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's attempted flight into known adverse weather after receiving hazardous weather advisories, which resulted in inadvertent flight into instrument meteorological conditions while attempting to maintain VFR conditions on top. The subsequent accumulation of structural icing required an emergency descent into conditions of low cloud ceilings and obscured mountains.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 14, 2000 · about 5:45 pm local time
- Place
- Coulterville, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182L · all 182Ls on the register
- Registration
- N3324R · no longer on the register · serial 18258624
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During his preflight weather briefing the instrument rated pilot was advised that VFR flight was not recommended, and was given several pilot reports for overcast conditions and icing in clouds between 9,000 and 13,000 feet along his route of flight. The pilot told the briefer he had already heard the hazardous weather advisories on the transcribed weather recording. Before departure, the pilot told relatives that he planned to navigate under visual flight rules because of forecast icing in clouds, and intended to remain low to circumnavigate areas of weather. However, in the hour following takeoff, radar data showed the aircraft turning and circling as it climbed approximately on course and eventually reaching 13,700 feet (msl) in proximity of the accident site. The Safety Board Meteorologist determined that, at that location and altitude, the aircraft would likely have been in clouds and conditions favorable for supercooled large droplets (SLD) producing a moderate to severe icing environment. The radar data showed the aircraft maneuvering in the area near the accident site and descending from 13,700 feet to 11,100 feet over 7 minutes, and then descending in a left-hand turn from 11,100 feet to 4,900 feet, where radar contact was lost in 3.4 minutes. The wreckage distribution indicated that the aircraft was in straight and level flight at impact with the mountainside. Area residents reported that the mountains were obscured in low clouds with poor visibility and periods of intense rain. The pilot was wearing a nasal cannula oxygen dispensing device.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,309 hours in all; 994 in this make and model; 31 in the last 90 days; 18 in the last 30 days; 1,240 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,379 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 2,800 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-R (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: FAT Fresno CA at 4:32 pm
- Destination: RBL Red Bluff CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 220° at 11 knots
- Visibility: 9 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 3,700 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 55°F (13°C), dew point 52°F (11°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:53 pm from MCE, 29 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.