Cessna 182P accident near Carson City, Nevada, May 15, 2013
On May 15, 2013 at about 10:15 pm local time, a Cessna 182P, registered N911HE, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute (climb to cruise) near Carson City, Nevada (Carson City 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).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain aircraft control after an encounter with downdrafts while flying over mountainous terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 15, 2013 · about 10:15 pm local time
- Place
- Carson City, Nevada · Carson City · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182P · all 182Ps on the register
- Registration
- N911HE · registry record · serial 18261419
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was on a personal scenic tour flight; the airplane was climbing southwest, and approaching 9,000 feet mean sea level. He planned to cross a mountain saddle between 400 and 500 feet above ground level. The flight encountered a strong downdraft; the airspeed dropped to about 80 mph,and the airplane stopped climbing. It then encountered another downdraft, which resulted in the airplane descending. The pilot attempted to arrest the descent by applying full engine power, but was unsuccessful. He maneuvered the airplane to avoid some trees before impacting the rising terrain. The airplane sustained substantial damage to both wings and the tail section. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operations.
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
- Other weather encounter during enroute (climb to cruise)
- Loss of control in flight during enroute (climb to cruise) defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during enroute (climb to cruise)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › (general) › Not attained/maintained
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Wind › Downdraft › Not specified
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Terrain › Mountainous/hilly terrain › Not specified
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 19,880 hours in all; 378 in this make and model; 7,778 as pilot in command; 1,082 on instruments
- Last flight review: December 3, 2012
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,309 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 3, 2012; 124 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,100 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Cont Motor O-470 SERIES (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: CXP Carson City NV at 9:10 pm
- Destination: CXP Carson City NV
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 230° at 16 knots, gusting 22
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 18°F (-8°C)
- Altimeter: 30.02 inHg
- Observation at 10:15 pm from CXP, 7 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight 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.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number WPR13CA231.