Cessna 182S accident near Palm Springs, California, November 6, 2001
On November 6, 2001 at about 6:10 pm local time, a Cessna 182S, registered N2453A, was substantially damaged in an accident near Palm Springs, California (Desert Resorts Regional airport). It was an instructional 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 failure of the pilot-in-command to maintain directional control of the airplane after encountering a dust devil during landing roll.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 6, 2001 · about 6:10 pm local time
- Place
- Palm Springs, California · Desert Resorts Regional · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182S · all 182Ss on the register
- Registration
- N2453A · no longer on the register · serial 18280807
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
After landing on the 6,799-foot-long by 150-foot-wide runway, the aircraft veered to the right into soft sand and nosed over. The student pilot reported the landing was a good landing on the main landing gear. She lowered the nosewheel to the runway and was rolling smoothly when the aircraft suddenly veered to the right. She input left rudder but was unable to stop the aircraft from veering off the runway into soft sand where it rolled about 150 feet and nosed over. The pilot suspected an unseen dust devil may have been involved. An automated weather observation, 16 minutes before the accident, reported a left-rear, quartering surface wind at 4 knots. Forty-four minutes after the accident the surface wind was a left crosswind at 3 knots.
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: student
- Flight time: 56 hours in all; 56 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 321 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 21, 2001; 116 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,100 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540-AB1A5 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: TRM Palm Springs CA at 6:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 35, 6,799 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 220° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 54°F (12°C)
- Altimeter: 29.87 inHg
- Observation at 5:54 pm from TRM
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.