Cessna 182R accident near Markleeville, California, November 3, 1997
On November 3, 1997 at about 7:43 pm local time, a Cessna 182R, registered N2043E, was destroyed in an accident near Markleeville, California. It was an aerial observation flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed and 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot-passenger's failure to maintain sufficient altitude and airspeed to avoid collision with terrain, and the pilot-in-command's diverted attention and failure to recognize a deteriorating situation in time to effect a safe recovery.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 3, 1997 · about 7:43 pm local time
- Place
- Markleeville, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed and 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182R · all 182Rs on the register
- Registration
- N2043E · no longer on the register · serial 18268184
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Aerial observation flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The aircraft impacted mountainous terrain while on a Civil Air Patrol search mission. The surviving passenger stated that the pilot-in-command allowed the front seat observer, who was a pilot, to fly the aircraft while the pilot-in-command scanned terrain to the left of the flight path. The observer/pilot allowed the aircraft to get too low and too slow for the altitude and terrain conditions, and the pilot-in-command was unable to takeover in time to prevent impact with a pine tree which caused the aircraft to nose down into the ground.
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: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, commercial pilot, flight engineer
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 19,480 hours in all; 105 in this make and model; 30 in the last 90 days; 10 in the last 30 days; 12,000 as pilot in command; 450 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,062 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 19, 1997; 102 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,100 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470U (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: O04 Carson City NV at 6:30 pm
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 190° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 40 statute miles
- Temperature: 63°F (17°C), dew point 27°F (-3°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:30 pm from KTV, 46 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 | 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.