# NTSB DEN04LA049: Cessna 182P, N29821, Hanksville, UT, March 7, 2004 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · No injuries · Limited investigation · Final report - Date: March 7, 2004, 11:30 local (18:30 UTC) - Place: Hanksville, UT - Coordinates: 37.979721, -111.251945 - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=37.9797&lon=-111.2519&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Landing](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/550) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: No injuries - Injuries: 2 uninjured - Status: Completed, report June 30, 2004 - Report: Approved by Office Director - Parties: Federal Aviation Administration - NTSB case key (mKey): 58858 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=DEN04LA049 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/58858/pdf - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/DEN04LA049 ## Probable cause the pilot's selection of unsuitable terrain to conduct a precautionary landing. Factors contributing to the accident was the soft, dirt road. ## Sequence of events In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - On ground/water encounter with terrain/water, landing - precautionary landing - performed, pilot in command - unsuitable terrain or takeoff/landing/taxi area - selected (cause) - terrain condition - roadway/highway (contributing factor) - terrain condition - soft (contributing factor) - Nose over, landing - roll ## Analysis The pilot reported that he and his wife were sightseeing. He said they had been airborne approximately 2 hours when the airplane's engine began running rough. The pilot would later describe this as a "vibration." The pilot said he checked his magnetos, the fuel tanks, the mixture, and propeller, and adjusted the throttle. None of these actions seemed to work. The pilot said he decided to put the airplane down on a dirt road. He said that as he was about to land, he noted that the road was narrower than he thought. The pilot said the road was soft. The airplane slowed down, but then the nose wheel dug into the soft dirt and the airplane flipped over. The airplane's wings, cowling, vertical stabilizer and rudder sustained substantial damage. An examination of the airplane's systems revealed no anomalies. ## Factual narrative On March 7, 2004, at approximately 1130 mountain standard time, a Cessna 182P, N29821, piloted by a private pilot, sustained substantial damage when during a landing on a dirt road, 38 miles southwest of Hanksville, Utah, the airplane nosed over. The pilot and pilot-rated passenger were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The personal flight was being conducted under the provisions of Title 14 CFR Part 91. No flight plan was on file. The cross-country flight originated at Marble Canyon, Arizona, and was en route to Cedar City, Utah. During an interview, the pilot reported that he and his wife were sightseeing. He said they had been airborne approximately 2 hours when the airplane's engine began running rough. The pilot said he checked his magnetos, the fuel tanks, the mixture, and propeller, and adjusted the throttle. None of these actions seemed to work. The pilot said he decided to put the airplane down on a dirt road. He said that as he was about to land, he noted that the road was narrower than he thought. The pilot said the road was soft. The airplane slowed down, but then the nose wheel dug into the soft dirt and the airplane flipped over. In his statement written statement, the pilot described the issue with his engine as a "vibration." He reported that he attempted to isolate the problem without success. He said the vibration "persisted to the point that he became afraid to continue the flight." An examination of the airplane at the accident site showed that the cowling was crushed aft, both wings were bent downward and aft, and the vertical stabilizer and rudder were crushed downward. The propeller showed torsional bending and chordwise scratches. Flight control continuity was confirmed. The airplane wreckage was retained for further examination. The airplane's engine was successfully test run on March 17, 2004, at Spanish Fork, Utah. An examination of the other airplane systems revealed no anomalies. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N29821](https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N29821), registered now, S/N 18261233, built 1972 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: Cessna 182P - Registry model: [Cessna 182P](https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-182p) (registry code 2075816) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Continental IO-470 series](https://openairdocs.org/engine/continental-io-470-series) (registry code 17044, reciprocating) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 18261233 - Airframe hours: 3454 - Engines: Continental IO-470-F 260 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Registered owner: Edward R. Hunt - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal - Last inspection: Annual, September 20, 2003, 79 hours before - Departed: PGA, Page, AZ - Destination: PGA, Page, AZ ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 47; injuries: none; private; airplane ratings: single-engine land; instrument ratings: airplane; medical: class 3; last flight review July 12, 2003; seat: left; flight hours: 358 total, 192 in this make and model, 288 as pilot in command, 23 in the last 90 days, 9 in the last 30 days, 4 in the last 24 hours ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: 320° at 4 knots - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: none - Temperature: 52 °F, dew point 28 °F - Altimeter: 30.37 inHg - Observed at: PGA, 64 nm away ## FAA reports on this event (1) The FAA's own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date (OpenAirDocs). - [Accident 20040307003209A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20040307003209A), Mar 7, 2004: Cessna 182P, Hanksville, UT, Substantial damage. (-23) Pilot stated that after two flight hours the engine began running rough. Pilot checked magnetos, fuel tank selector, mixture, propeller and adjusted… 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. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.