Cessna 182P accident near Kneeland, California, July 21, 1995
On July 21, 1995 at about 8:45 pm local time, a Cessna 182P, registered N9437M, was destroyed in an accident near Kneeland, California (Kneeland airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the non-instrument rated pilot's decision to takeoff in known adverse weather conditions, which resulted in spatial disoreintation and an in-flight loss of control.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 21, 1995 · about 8:45 pm local time
- Place
- Kneeland, California · Kneeland · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182P · all 182Ps on the register
- Registration
- N9437M · no longer on the register · serial 18264755
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
FOLLOWING A WEATHER BRIEFING IN WHICH HE WAS ADVISED OF THE FOG AND MULTIPLE LAYERED CLOUD CONDITIONS, THE NON-INSTRUMENT RATED PILOT ELECTED TO TAKEOFF FROM AN AIRPORT IN MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN. GROUND WITNESSES SAID THE VISIBILITY WAS ABOUT 2,000 FEET WHEN THE PILOT DEPARTED, AND THAT THE AIRCRAFT DISAPPEARED INTO THE CLOUDS ABOUT 50 FEET ABOVE GROUND. SHORTLY THEREAFTER, THE ENGINE RPM WAS HEARD TO INCREASE FOLLOWED BY A THUD NOISE. THE AIRPLANE WAS FOUND A DAY LATER ABOUT 1 MILE NORTHWEST OF THE AIRPORT AT AN ELEVATION ABOUT 1,500 FEET BELOW THE AIRPORT ELEVATION. THE SEARCH FOR THE AIRPLANE WAS IMPEDED BY THE FOGGY WEATHER CONDITIONS.
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: 182 hours in all; 22 in this make and model; 8 in the last 90 days; 5 in the last 30 days; 114 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,727 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 25, 1995; 138 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,950 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-470 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: O19 at 8:45 pm
- Destination: Q96 Sacramento CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 33, 2,270 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 270° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 2,000 ft; scat at 900 ft
- Temperature: 63°F (17°C), dew point 57°F (14°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:57 pm from ACV, 17 miles away
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.