# Accident 20161226023729A: Cessna 182H, Gatlinburg, TN, December 26, 2016

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: December 26, 2016, 16:02 local time
- Place: Gatlinburg, TN
- Airport: Gatlinburg-Pigeon Forge
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: Descent
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 35.6519° N, 83.4583° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=35.6519&lon=-83.4583&mi=10
- Aircraft: N1839X, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N1839X-2018-03-20) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Cessna 182H (registry code 2072718, https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-182h) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Continental O-470 series (registry code 17026, https://openairdocs.org/engine/continental-o-470-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: CESSNA 182H
- Reported engine: CONT MOTOR O-470 SERIES
- People aboard: 3
- Fatal injuries: 3
- Other injuries: 0
- Pilot certificates: Private pilot
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB ERA17FA073](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA17FA073) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20161226023729A

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

AIRCRAFT HAD VFR FLIGHT FOLLOWING. PILOT STARTED DESCENT TO KGKT 15 MILES FROM AIRPORT. AIRCRAFT WAS IN IFR CONDITIONS AND DESCENDED INTO MOUNTAINS. AIRCRAFT IMPACTED MOUNTAIN TOP AT 5500 FEET.

## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1)

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

- [NTSB ERA17FA073](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA17FA073), Dec 26, 2016: Cessna 182 (N1839X), Gatlinburg, TN, destroyed, 3 fatal. Probable cause: The non-instrument-rated pilot's intentional visual flight rules flight into instrument meteorological conditions, which resulted in controlled flight into terrain. Contributing to the accident was…

## Other reports on N1839X (1)

Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.

- [Incident 19970907038249I](https://openairdocs.org/incident/19970907038249I), Sep 7, 1997: Cessna 182M (N1839X), Dubuque, IA, Minor damage. Narrative: Mr. Thompson stated he experienced engine failure ten nautical miles south of Dubuque, Iowa. He advised ATC, saw a grass strip (IA68), made a hard…

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

---
OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.
