Cessna TR182 accident near Spanish Fork, Utah, August 28, 2010
On August 28, 2010, a Cessna TR182, registered N738MP, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (flare/touchdown) near Spanish Fork, Utah (Spanish Fork-Springville airport). It was a personal flight 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 did not extend the landing gear due to his impairment from alcohol.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 28, 2010
- Place
- Spanish Fork, Utah · Spanish Fork-Springville · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna TR182 · all TR182s on the register
- Registration
- N738MP · no longer on the register · serial R18200942
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot failed to extend the airplane's landing gear prior to touchdown at the conclusion of a 2.5-hour cross-country flight. As the airplane slid to a stop on the runway, substantial damage was sustained to the belly skin and a bulkhead. Police officers who responded to the scene observed that the pilot exhibited slurred speech, slow reactions, and poor balance. Upon detecting an odor of an alcoholic beverage coming from the pilot, they administered a breath alcohol concentration test, which indicated the pilot had a blood alcohol concentration above the legal limit for operating an aircraft. The pilot was subsequently arrested for flying under the influence of alcohol-liquor. Examination of the airplane’s landing gear and gear position warning system found that both systems functioned normally.
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
What happened, in order
- Miscellaneous/other during approach (VFR pattern final)
- Landing gear not configured during landing (flare/touchdown) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Physical › Impairment/incapacitation › Alcohol › Pilot
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Forgotten action/omission › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Landing gear selector › Not used/operated
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 200 hours in all; 100 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: unk
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Maximum gross weight: 3,100 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming O-540 SERIES (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: VGT Las Vegas NV at 10:40 pm
- Destination: U77 Spanish Fork UT
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 30, 5,700 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 040° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 7,000 ft
- Temperature: 63°F (17°C), dew point 54°F (12°C)
- Altimeter: 29.78 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight 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.