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CEN12IA385

2012-05-27 · Fowlerville, Michigan, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport 65G

Current FAA registration · N287TC

Make / Model
CESSNA 182N
Year of manufacture
1969 · 43 years old at event
Engine
CONT MOTOR O-470 SERIES (230 hp)
Seats / Engines
4 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date
19691218
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S A2E9A8

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The airplane’s encounter with clear air turbulence, which caused a momentary loss of control and minor damage to the airplane.

Factual narrative

The commercial pilot was maneuvering around clouds during a skydiving operation when the airplane abruptly made a steep bank to the left and continued to dive. He made control corrections to recover the airplane and soon after landed uneventfully. The pilot believes that he hit a patch of turbulence that caused the airplane to maneuver in such a manner. The pilot was a new skydiving pilot and was inexperienced with flying an airplane loaded with jumpers. The post incident examination revealed minor damage to the airplane. The commercial pilot was maneuvering around clouds during a skydiving operation when the airplane abruptly made a steep bank to the left and continued to dive. He made control corrections to recover the airplane and soon after landed uneventfully. The pilot believed that he hit a patch of turbulence that caused the airplane to maneuver in such a manner. A postflight examination revealed wrinkles in the top skin of the airplane’s wings, which was later determined to be minor damage. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

  • C Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Turbulence-Clear air turbulence-Effect on operation - C
  • C Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Lateral/bank control-Not attained/maintained - C

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2012_CEN12IA385.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

Search this event elsewhere

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Related research

Matched on aircraft type or causal vocabulary (loss of control, turbulence). All research papers