Cessna 182B accident near El Dorado, California, June 8, 2006
On June 8, 2006 at about 2:00 am local time, a Cessna 182B, registered N2404G, was substantially damaged in an accident near El Dorado, California (Private Turner airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
A loss of engine power for undetermined reasons and encounter with trees during the forced landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 8, 2006 · about 2:00 am local time
- Place
- El Dorado, California · Private Turner · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182B · all 182Bs on the register
- Registration
- N2404G · no longer on the register · serial 51704
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane experienced a loss of engine power and collided with a tree during a forced landing. The student and flight instructor had practiced maneuvering in a local practice area for over 30 minutes. During a climb the certificated flight instructor (CFI) noticed that the engine's revolutions per minute (rpm) seemed low. The student pilot slightly retarded the throttle and propeller controls and the engine began to surge, subsequently quitting. The airplane's fuel quantity gauges indicated that the right tank had 1/4 fuel remaining and the left tank showed 1/2 fuel remaining. The CFI configured the airplane for a forced landing at a private dirt airstrip. With the airplane about 10 to 15 feet above ground level (agl), a crosswind was encountered (followed by a sudden tailwind) and the airplane collided with trees adjacent to the strip. A post accident examination of the engine after recovery from the accident site revealed no evidence of preimpact mechanical malfunction or failure that would have precluded normal operation. The fuel bladders were removed and inspected by cutting open the cell along the outer wall. The left bladder, manufactured in 1958, exhibited several distinct wrinkles peaking about 1-inch high at the most creased area. Significant creases were situated near the fuel pick up and stretched along the cord line about 29 inches in length. The fuel sending unit roller rested on one of the smaller crease about .6 inches tall. An airworthiness directive (AD) was issued in 1986 to prevent power loss or engine stoppage due to contamination of fuel system from water and debris trapped by fuel bladder wrinkles; the AD was marked as complied with in 1988.
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
Flight instructor
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,156 hours in all; 16 in this make and model; 40 in the last 90 days; 25 in the last 30 days; 995 as pilot in command; 449 on instruments
- Last flight review: November 1, 2005
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: serious injuries
Dual student
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 30 hours in all; 8 in this make and model; 8 in the last 90 days; 8 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,260 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 1, 2006
- Maximum gross weight: 2,650 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PVF Placerville CA
- Destination: PVF
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 31, 2,900 ft by 100 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 190° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 12,000 ft
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 52°F (11°C)
- Altimeter: 29.87 inHg
- Observation at 1:50 am from AUN, 13 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
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.