No fatalities

Pilot Reports Stall Warning and Gusty Winds During Night Landing; Aircraft Inverts After Bouncing and Hitting Fence

Alpine, TX, United States

On March 3, 2017, a CESSNA 182 E was involved in an aviation accident near Alpine, TX. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The pilot’s inadequate compensation for gusting crosswind conditions at night and his delayed go-around, which resulted in the airplane bouncing and impacting a fence. This summary draws on records from NTSB; 12 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.

SourcesNTSBPrimary reportUpdated 2026-08-03Data APIEditorial standards

During a night landing in gusting winds, a pilot heard the stall warning horn, encountered a gust that lifted the left wing, bounced on touchdown, initiated a go-around, but was pushed into desert terrain. The aircraft struck a fence and came to rest inverted, sustaining substantial damage.

Event Sequence

The pilot reported that during final approach in gusting wind conditions at night, he reduced power and initiated a flare. At that moment, he heard the stall warning horn. He stated that a "gust of wind caught [the] left wing," which he attempted to counter with left aileron inputs. Upon touchdown, the nose landing gear bounced. The pilot then applied full power to go around, but a gust of wind "pushed [him] right into desert." The airplane bounced, impacted a fence, and came to rest inverted on the right side of the runway.

Aircraft Damage

The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing, fuselage, and empennage.

Weather Conditions

A review of recorded data from the automated weather observation station located on the airport revealed that about 5 minutes before the accident the wind was 130° at 9 knots. The same weather observation station reported that about 15 minutes after the accident the wind was 140° at 10 knots, gusting to 17 knots. The airplane landed on runway 19.

Pilot Report

The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation.

Contributing factors

Causes

PilotPerformance/control parameters — Not attained/maintainedResponse/compensation

Other contributing factors

Effect on personnelContributed to outcome