WPR25LA292

NTSB accident investigation · Cessna 182N · Fallbrook, CA · September 23, 2025

Accident · Minor injuriesClass 3 · LimitedPreliminary report
Date
September 23, 2025, 14:00 local (21:00 UTC)
Place
Fallbrook, CA · Los Jilgueros Preserve
Injuries
1 minor
Damage
Substantial damage
Phase of flight
Approach
Aircraft
N766EECessna 182N
Defining event
Approach-VFR pattern final: Off-field or emergency landing
Weather
Visual (VMC) · Day
Status
Investigation ongoing
Investigation class
Class 3
NTSB office
Western Pacific Region
Parties
Federal Aviation Administration
FAA report
20250923015269A
Case key
201727

From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.

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Preliminary report

What NTSB knew early in the investigation. It may change in the final report.

On September 23, 2025, about 1400 Pacific daylight time, N766EE, a Cessna 182N, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Fallbrook, California. The pilot received minor injuries. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. According to the pilot, he purchased fuel at French Valley Airport (F70), Murrieta, California (F70), and departed about 1353. After takeoff, he flew southbound, toward Fallbrook Community Airpark (L18), Fallbrook, California, and flew a straight in approach to runway 18. As the airplane was less than one mile from runway 18, he attempted to increase engine power using the throttle, however, the engine power remained the same. He advanced the throttle position a second time and turned off the carburetor heat, with no change in engine power. The pilot realized that the airplane was too low to reach the runway and initiated an emergency landing on a divided highway, with partial engine power. The airplane landed on the southbound lanes and during the landing roll, the left wing impacted a tree, along the center divider. Subsequently, the airplane veered left, exited the roadway, nosed over, and came to rest inverted, on an embankment adjacent to the northbound lanes of the roadway. Postaccident examination revealed that the fuselage, both wings, and empennage sustained substantial damage. The wreckage was recovered to a secure location for further examination.

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.

Aircraft

Registration
N766EE
Reported as
Cessna 182N
Category
Airplane
Serial number
18260217
Built
1970
Damage
Substantial damage
Flight
Personal · Part 91
Airworthiness certificate
Standard, Normal
Departed
F70 · Murrieta, CA
Destination
L18 · Fallbrook, CA
Airport
L18 · Fallbrook Community Airpark, runway 18/36, 2,150 × 60 ft, asphalt
Equipment
Handheld GPS, Electronic flight bag or handheld device, ADS-B

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.

Weather

Conditions
Visual (VMC) · Day
Wind
200° at 9 knots
Visibility
10 statute miles
Temperature
82 °F, dew point 64 °F
Altimeter
29.81 inHg
Observed at
KNFG, 6 nm away
METAR
METAR KNFG 232052Z 20009KT 10SM SCT120 28/18 A2981

FAA reports on this event · 1

The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.