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CEN23LA263

2023-06-23 · Gunnison, Colorado, United States · Serious · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Current FAA registration · N3289S

Make / Model
CESSNA 182G
Year of manufacture
1964 · 59 years old at event
Engine
CONT MOTOR O-470 SERIES (230 hp)
Seats / Engines
4 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date
19640916
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S A38FAC

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

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.

Factual narrative

The pilot reported that she had been checked out in the accident airplane that morning and this was only her second flight in the same type. She stated that she and three passengers were sightseeing in a canyon that began to narrow. As the flight progressed, she was unable to climb out of the canyon and stalled the airplane. During the stall recovery, the airplane impacted trees and terrain; a postcrash fire ensued and the airplane was destroyed. The pilot reported no mechanical malfunctions or anomalies that would have precluded normal operations. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

  • — Personnel issues-Action/decision-Info processing/decision-Decision making/judgment-Pilot
  • — Personnel issues-Experience/knowledge-Knowledge-Knowledge of geographic area-Pilot
  • — Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Aircraft capability-Climb capability-Capability exceeded
  • — Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Airspeed-Not attained/maintained
  • — Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Angle of attack-Capability exceeded

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2023_CEN23LA263.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

Search this event elsewhere

External sources are reported, not agency: signal that something happened, not fact about what happened.

Related research

Matched on aircraft type or causal vocabulary (stall). All research papers