Cessna 182 accident near Mendota, California, June 23, 1996
On June 23, 1996 at about 2:11 am local time, a Cessna 182, registered N3675U, was substantially damaged in an accident near Mendota, California (Mendota airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's decision to intentionally shut down the engine; his failure to verify the surface winds during the prolonged orbiting descent over the airport, which resulted in a final approach with a tailwind component; and his misjudging of the aircraft's altitude and speed during the power off forced landing attempt, which led to a runway overrun.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 23, 1996 · about 2:11 am local time
- Place
- Mendota, California · Mendota · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182 · all 182s on the register
- Registration
- N3675U · no longer on the register · serial 18255075
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot carried four parachute jumpers aloft; one left the aircraft at 4,500 feet and the last three left at 12,000 feet. After all the jumpers had exited, the pilot decided to do a power off stall. He stated that he was 'curious about the gliding abilities of the 182' and pulled the mixture control to idle cutoff when the aircraft was over the airport at 11,500 feet. During the stall maneuver the propeller stopped rotating. The pilot glided down in an orbit over the airport to 5,000 feet before trying to start the engine. All subsequent engine restart efforts during the descent were unsuccessful and he decided to land on runway 32 because the winds were from 330 degrees when he departed. The pilot said that once on final approach he saw that he was high and fast, then noticed that the windsock indicated a tailwind. The pilot attempted to use flaps and a prolonged slip; however, the aircraft floated down the entire length of the 3,550-foot-long runway. The aircraft finally touched down on the nose gear 280 feet beyond the runway's departure end. The nose gear collapsed and the aircraft nosed over. An FAA airworthiness inspector examined the aircraft and reported finding evidence of fuel leakage past the filler caps as the aircraft lay upside down in the field. No discrepancies were found in the engine, the induction system, or engine compartment fuel lines/filters. With the exception of the bladder fuel tanks, no discrepancies or contaminants were found in the airframe fuel system. Detailed examination of the fuel bladder tanks revealed that portions of the cells were loose and not secured to the internal wing structure. Folds were noted on the bottom of the cells with evidence of trapped fuel in the folds and wrinkles.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 546 hours in all; 44 in this make and model; 216 in the last 90 days; 90 in the last 30 days; 458 as pilot in command; 145 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,247 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 1, 1996; 36 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,800 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-R (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Q84 at 1:50 am
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 32, 3,550 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 280° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 88°F (31°C), dew point 57°F (14°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
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.
Other NTSB records under N3675U the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.