Cessna 182B accident near Mokelumne Hill, California, October 15, 2005
On October 15, 2005 at about 11:00 pm local time, a Cessna 182B, registered N2728B, was substantially damaged in an accident near Mokelumne Hill, California (Private 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).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot's improper flare resulting in a hard landing. A related factor was gusty wind conditions.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 15, 2005 · about 11:00 pm local time
- Place
- Mokelumne Hill, California · Private · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182B · all 182Bs on the register
- Registration
- N2728B · registry record · serial 52028
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airframe was damaged during a hard landing at a private airstrip. The pilot said the grass airstrip was orientated along a 330-degree path with a stand of trees on the southern end, the tallest of which was about 80 feet. The pilot observed the wind to be from 300 degrees at 8 knots with gusts to 15 knots. He approached the grass strip from the south and established the airplane on final approach at 65 mph and a vertical descent rate of 200 to 300 feet per minute (fpm). On short final, the pilot established the airplane at 60 mph (about 10 mph above stall speed) with 40 degrees of flaps extended. As the airplane passed the stand of trees it dropped 10 to 12 feet and landed hard about 90 feet short of the pilot's intended touchdown point. After engine shutdown, the pilot noticed the control column was jammed to the far aft position and locked against the rear of the instrument panel. Post-event examination of the airplane revealed the firewall was displaced aft about 3 inches.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,900 hours in all; 1,000 in this make and model; 35 in the last 90 days; 12 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: April 1, 2005
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,352.6 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 1, 2005; 75.9 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,650 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Teledyne Continental O-470-R(25) (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: O70 Martel CA at 10:55 pm
- Destination: Mokelumne Hill CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 33, 900 ft by 80 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 300° at 8 knots, gusting 15
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
Other NTSB records under N2728B the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number LAX06CA010.