Cessna 182P accident near Reno, Nevada, January 30, 2005
On January 30, 2005 at about 11:40 pm local time, a Cessna 182P, registered N9003M, was substantially damaged in an accident near Reno, Nevada (Reno/Tahoe Intl. Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot's misjudged flare, which resulted in a stall and a hard landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 30, 2005 · about 11:40 pm local time
- Place
- Reno, Nevada · Reno/Tahoe Intl. Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182P · all 182Ps on the register
- Registration
- N9003M · no longer on the register · serial 18264638
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane landed hard and porpoised, resulting in a collapse of the nose gear strut and deformation to the firewall. After turning onto the final approach segment, the pilot slowed the airplane to 80 knots and configured the airplane with 40 degrees of flaps. Crossing the runway threshold at 70 knots, the pilot reduced power and initiated the transition from approach to a landing attitude. The airplane stalled above the runway and touched down hard on the main landing gear. The airplane began to porpoise and bounced twice before settling into the landing rollout. The pilot reported that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures.
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: 104 hours in all; 19 in this make and model; 3 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3
The aircraft
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470 Series (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MEV Minden NV
- Destination: RNO Reno NV
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 16L, 9,000 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 39°F (4°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
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 N9003M 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.