Cessna 182E accident near Eureka, California, June 10, 1991
On June 10, 1991 at about 1:40 am local time, a Cessna 182E, registered N3046Y, was destroyed in an accident near Eureka, California. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was conditions the NTSB did not record.
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE NON-INSTRUMENT RATED PILOT'S INADVERTENT FLIGHT INTO IMC CONDITIONS. THE PILOT'S LACK OF TOTAL EXPERIENCE, HIS DISREGARD TO THE PREFLIGHT METEOROLOGICAL BRIEFING HE RECEIVED, LOW CEILINGS, FOG, AND THE MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN OVER WHICH THE FLIGHT WAS CONDUCTED WERE FACTORS IN THE ACCIDENT.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 10, 1991 · about 1:40 am local time
- Place
- Eureka, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- conditions the NTSB did not record
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182E · all 182Es on the register
- Registration
- N3046Y · no longer on the register · serial 18254046
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AFTER FILING A FLIGHT PLAN UNDER VISUAL FLIGHT RULES AND RECEIVING A WEATHER BRIEFING THAT RECOMMENDED THAT FLIGHT UNDER VISUAL FLIGHT RULES NOT BE CONDUCTED TO HIS PROPOSED DESTINATION, THE NON-INSTRUMENT RATED PRIVATE PILOT TOOK OFF FROM AN UNCONTROLLED AIRPORT WITHOUT OPENING HIS FLIGHT PLAN. WHEN THE PASSENGER DID NOT REPORT FOR WORK THE FOLLOWING DAY HER EMPLOYER REPORTED SHE AND THE PILOT MISSING. LATER IN THE DAY A COAST GUARD HELICOPTER REPORTED THAT AN ELT WAS TRANSMITTING IN THE VICINITY OF THE AIRPORT. A GROUND PARTY FOUND THE AIRCRAFT'S WRECKAGE STREWN OVER TREE COVERED MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN. LOW CEILINGS AND FOG EXISTED IN THE AREA AT THE TIME.
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: 93 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,275 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 6, 1991; 60 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,800 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-R (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 2Q3 Woodland CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 310° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 2 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded
- Temperature: 52°F (11°C), dew point 50°F (10°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:54 am from ACV, 30 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.