Cessna 182P accident near Hyampom, California, June 13, 2025
On June 13, 2025 at about 5:30 pm local time, a 1973 Cessna 182P, registered N78720, was substantially damaged in an accident during approach (VFR pattern final) near Hyampom, California (Hyampom 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’s failure to use carburetor heat, which resulted in a loss of engine power due to carburetor icing and a subsequent impact with terrain during a forced landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 13, 2025 · about 5:30 pm local time
- Place
- Hyampom, California · Hyampom · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182P, built 1973 · all 182Ps on the register
- Registration
- N78720 · registry record · serial 18261776
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot overflew the destination airport at an altitude of about 8,500 ft mean sea level (msl) due to a temporary flight restriction. He then reduced the airplane’s engine power significantly, slowed the airplane’s airspeed, applied 10° of flaps, and initiated a 7,200-ft descent to the airport. While on approach to land, the pilot advanced the throttle but the engine did not respond. Unable to maintain altitude, he initiated a forced landing onto an open field about 900 ft south of the runway. During the landing roll on unimproved terrain, the nose landing gear separated and the airplane came to rest upright in a nose-down attitude, resulting in substantial damage to the forward fuselage. During the recovery of the airplane, about 60 gallons of fuel was found remaining in its tanks; a postaccident examination of the airplane and engine did not reveal any pre-accident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. An NTSB meteorologist created a High Resolution Rapid Refresh (HRRR) model sounding for the accident time and location, with the modeled surface elevation at 1,277 ft msl. At an elevation of 7,064 ft msl, the HRRR sounding indicated the temperature was about 6.6°C and the dew point was about -5.9°C, with a relative humidity of 40%. The icing probability chart in FAA Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin CE-09-35 indicated that the modeled atmospheric conditions at the time of the accident were "conducive to icing at glide [idle] power," and the airplane’s prelanding checklist included applying full carburetor heat before the throttle was closed. However, the pilot stated that he did not use carburetor heat during the descent and approach.
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
- Fuel related during approach (VFR pattern final) defining event
- Off-field or emergency landing during landing
The NTSB's findings
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Temp/humidity/pressure › Conducive to carburetor icing › Effect on equipment
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Use of checklist › Pilot
- Aircraft › Aircraft power plant › Power plant › Air intake › Not used/operated
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Use of equip/system › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: helicopter; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 9,500 hours in all; 115 in this make and model; 99 in the last 90 days; 60 in the last 30 days; 9,420 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: January 27, 2025
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,714.7 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 1, 2024; 74 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,950 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470 R25B (piston); 1,398 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: TCY Tracy CA at 4:15 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 32, 2,980 ft by 60 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 230° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 37°F (3°C)
- Altimeter: 29.92 inHg
- Observation at 10:55 am from KO54, 26 miles away
Weather report (METAR): KO54 131755Z AUTO 23009KT 200V260 10SM CLR 22/03 A2992 RMK A01
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
6 documents, released by the NTSB on February 11, 2026. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 12 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Record of E-mail Correspondence (Pilot) | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | POH Excerpt | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 4 | Weather Hrrr Sounding Text | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 5 | Airframe and Engine Exam Report | PDF, 11 pages | View Download |
| 6 | FAA Carburetor Icing Chart | PDF, 3 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
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.
