Cessna 182 N21254 accident near Smyrna, Tennessee

Probable cause

The pilot’s failure to maintain an appropriate approach path, resulting in the airplane contacting a tree during a landing approach at night.

NTSB analysis

While flying a visual approach to the runway at night, and in a gusting crosswind, the pilot turned from the base leg of the traffic pattern to final approach and corrected for the crosswind. The pilot transitioned from a crabbing crosswind correction to a slipping crosswind correction and noticed that he was below the glideslope for the runway as indicated by the precision approach pathway indicator lights. The pilot increased engine power to correct, but the airplane impacted the top of a tree, resulting in substantial damage to the right wing and right horizontal stabilizer. He subsequently landed the airplane uneventfully. The pilot reported that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for ERA25LA104 for the full record.