- Date
- December 31, 2024, 13:15 local (20:15 UTC)
- Place
- Los Alamos, NM
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N71074Cessna 182M
- Defining event
- Landing-landing roll: Loss of control on ground
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Western Pacific Region
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration
- FAA report
- 20241231021879I
- Case key
- 199524
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The pilot’s failure to maintain airplane control while landing in gusty crosswind conditions.
Findings · 3
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The pilot reported that while monitoring his destination airport’s automated weather report during a local flight he discovered that the wind had was initially from 180° at 7 knots but had increased to 11 knots with gusts to 18 knots. The pilot selected runway 27 for landing, and during final approach, encountered turbulence along with a fluctuation in airspeed of plus or minus 10 miles per hour, which he attributed to possible low-level wind shear. When about 50 ft above ground level, the pilot heard the stall warning horn while in a nose down attitude. The pilot stated that he focused on solely on airspeed and failed to maintain appropriate crosswind correction, as wind gusts pushed the airplane towards the left side of the runway. The pilot was unable to recover from the uncommanded movement and the airplane touched down on or near the left edge of the runway beyond the runway threshold. The airplane crossed the grassy area between the runway and taxiway, struck a taxiway curb and the nose landing gear collapsed, which resulted in substantial damage to the fuselage. The pilot reported no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N71074
- Reported as
- Cessna 182M
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 18259484
- Built
- 1968
- Airframe hours
- 942.1
- Engine
- Continental O-47O-R, 230 hp, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Front Row LLC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · November 14, 2024
- Departed
- SKX · Taos, NM
- Destination
- Same as departure
- Airport
- LAM · Los Alamos, runway 09/27, 6,000 × 120 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- Electronic primary flight display, Onboard weather, Stall warning system, ADS-B, Auto-pilot, Electronic flight bag or handheld device, Electronic multifunction display
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 46
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- February 15, 2024
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 573 total · 398 in this make and model · 521 as pilot in command · 4.5 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 170° at 11 knots, gusting 17
- Visibility
- 8 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 39 °F, dew point 14 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.01 inHg
- Observed at
- KLAM, 1 nm away
- METAR
- KLAM 312015Z AUTO 17011G17KT 8SM CLR 04/M10 A3001 RMK AO2 T00381102 $
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on April 22, 2025, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 2.2 MB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.
Other investigations on N71074 · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.