Cessna 182Q accident near Fallbrook, California, December 26, 1995
On December 26, 1995 at about 6:00 pm local time, a Cessna 182Q, registered N97196, was substantially damaged in an accident near Fallbrook, California (Fallbrook Airpark airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot's inadequate preflight planning/preparation (failure to ensuring the flight information publication was current); his selection of the wrong runway for landing; his failure to achieve the proper touchdown point during the landing; and his failure to go around, while there was still sufficient airspeed and runway available. The tailwind was a related factor.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 26, 1995 · about 6:00 pm local time
- Place
- Fallbrook, California · Fallbrook Airpark · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182Q · all 182Qs on the register
- Registration
- N97196 · registry record · serial 18267011
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
After arriving over the airport, the pilot was unsuccessful in obtaining an airport advisory by using the common traffic advisory frequency (CTAF) from a flight information publication that was in his possession. (After the accident, he noticed the publication was out-of-date and did not have the correct CTAF published.) The pilot said he could find no means for determining the wind direction, and he elected to land on runway 18. During the landing roll, he was unable to stop the aircraft on the remaining runway, and it overran the departure end, encountered a rough surface, and nosed over. The pilot said that after the accident, he realized he had unknowingly landed downwind with a 15-knot tail wind. Ground witnesses reported that the aircraft was very fast and had touched down about 1,000 feet down the 2,160-foot-long runway. The witnesses also stated that the winds had been steady from the north at 10 to 15 knots all morning.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,304 hours in all; 800 in this make and model; 16 in the last 90 days; 2 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,400 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 1, 1995; 100 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,900 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-U (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: LGB Long Beach CA at 5:00 pm
- Destination: L18
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 18, 2,160 ft by 70 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 360° at 15 knots
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 68°F (20°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.