Cessna 182 accident near Ontario, California, November 8, 2018
On November 8, 2018 at about 11:53 pm local time, a 1976 Cessna 182, registered N9914M, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute (descent) near Ontario, California (Cable 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
A partial loss of engine power during descent due to an incorrectly installed carburetor.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 8, 2018 · about 11:53 pm local time
- Place
- Ontario, California · Cable · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182 P, built 1976 · all 182s on the register
- Registration
- N9914M · registry record · serial 18264810
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane encountered severe turbulence and downdrafts after flying through a mountain pass, and the pilot applied full engine power in an effort to arrest the descent. The engine did not respond, and the pilot performed a forced landing onto a highway. While the pilot attempted to avoid automobiles, the airplane landed hard and sustained substantial damage. Examination revealed that about 20 years and 300 flight hours before the accident, threaded studs had been used to mount the carburetor airbox to the carburetor inlet, rather than the appropriate bolts. The studs had been overdriven and penetrated the carburetor bowl, fracturing the bowl housing. Fragments of the damaged housing lay at the bottom of the bowl until the accident flight, when the turbulence likely caused them to migrate and interfere with either the float or the fuel mixture metering system.
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
- Turbulence encounter during enroute (descent)
- Loss of engine power (partial) during enroute (descent) defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during emergency descent
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Maintenance › Installation › Maintenance personnel
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft power plant › Engine fuel and control › Fuel control/carburetor › Incorrect service/maintenance
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 9,800 hours in all; 75 in this make and model; 62 in the last 90 days; 18 in the last 30 days; 7,600 as pilot in command; 900 on instruments
- Last flight review: July 13, 2018
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 800 hours in all; 100 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,230.4 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 21, 2018; 18.2 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,348 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental Motors O-470-S2 (piston); 3,230 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: O43 Yerington NV at 9:18 pm
- Destination: CCB Upland CA
- Flight plan: none
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 040° at 25 knots, gusting 33
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 10°F (-12°C)
- Altimeter: 29.94 inHg
- Observation at 11:53 pm from KONT, 6 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flig | 2 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
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 docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site 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 WPR19LA021.