# Accident 20230623006859A: Cessna 182G, Gunnison, CO, June 23, 2023

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: June 23, 2023, 08:37 local time
- Place: Gunnison, CO
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: Cruise/Level Flight
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 38.4470° N, 107.4760° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=38.4470&lon=-107.4760&mi=10
- Aircraft: N3289S, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N3289S) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Cessna 182G (registry code 2072716, https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-182g) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Continental O-470 series (registry code 17026, https://openairdocs.org/engine/continental-o-470-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: CESSNA 182G
- Reported engine: CONT MOTOR O-470 SERIES
- People aboard: 4
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Other injuries: 4
- Pilot certificates: Commercial pilot
- Pilot flight hours: 300 total, 1 in this make and model, 20 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB CEN23LA263](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN23LA263) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20230623006859A

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

WHILE TAKING A PART 91 FLIGHT TO SEE THE SIGHTS IN THE AREA AROUND DELTA, CO, PILOT STATES THEY PLANNED TO FLY ALONG THE GUNNISON RIVER AND SEE THE CANYON. PILOT STATED THIS WAS THEIR FIRST TIME FLYING A CESSNA 182 AND THEY HAD BEEN CHECKED OUT ON IT PRIOR TO THE ACCIDENT FLIGHT BY THE COMPANY THEY RENTED THE AIRCRAFT FROM. PILOT STATED THEY FLEW THE AIRCRAFT INTO THE CANYON AND IT WAS VERY WIDE, BUT IT STARTED TO NARROW NEAR THE END. THE GUNNISON RIVER CANYON RIM AVERAGES ABOUT 8800 FT. THE AIRCRAFT FLIGHT AS SEEN ON FLIGHT TRACKING SOFTWARE SHOWED THE AIRCRAFT AT A LOWEST ALTITUDE OF 7600 FT. THE PILOT DECIDED TO CLIMB OUT OF IT ALONG ONE OF THE SIDE CANYONS TO THE LEFT. HOWEVER, THE PILOT STATED THE AIRCRAFT DID NOT HAVE THE RATE OF CLIMB AS EXPECTED. THIS WAS THE PILOTS FIRST TIME FLYING AT HIGH ALTITUDE MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN. THE PILOT STATED THEY THOUGHT THEY HEARD A STALL WARNING AND STARTED STALL RECOVERY PROCEDURES BUT CLIPPED SOME TREETOPS BEFORE IMPACT WITH TERRAIN. DAY VFR. FOUR OCCUPANTS. ALL FOUR INJURED, TWO SERIOUSLY.

## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1)

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

- [NTSB CEN23LA263](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN23LA263), Jun 23, 2023: Cessna 182G (N3289S), Gunnison, CO, destroyed. Probable cause: The pilot’s improper decision to fly into an area of unsuitable terrain which the airplane was unable to exit, resulting in an aerodynamic stall and subsequent impact with terrain.

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

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