BFO88FA009

NTSB accident investigation · Cessna 182D · South Hill, VA · November 30, 1987

Accident · FatalField investigationFinal report

Date: November 30, 1987, 14:40 local (19:40 UTC)
Place: South Hill, VA
Injuries: 1 fatal
Damage: Destroyed
Phase of flight: Maneuvering
Aircraft: N8886XCessna 182D
Weather: Instrument (IMC) · Day
Status: Completed · report May 26, 1989
Report: Approved by Office Director
Case key: 11354

From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.

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Sequence of events

NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.

In flight encounter with weatherManeuvering

Weather condition - low ceilingFactor

Flight into known adverse weather - initiatedPilot in commandFactor

Vfr flight into imc - continuedPilot in commandCause

Spatial disorientationPilot in commandFactor

Stall/spin - inadvertentPilot in commandCause

In flight collision with terrain/waterDescent - uncontrolled

Analysis

The plt was on the third leg of a trip between tampa, FL and sussex, NJ. The previous two stops were made because of adverse wx conditions. Before this flight he was advised by fss that VFR flight was not recommended. He filed a VFR flight plan but did not activate it. Witnesses reported the acft was flying northeast below a low overcast. Some witnesses said the acft was flying in clouds. One witness said the clouds were at treetop level. The acft reversed course and soon afterwards it descended to the ground. One witness said that before the acft descended it pitched up and it spun during the descent. The acft collided with the ground in a remote wooded area.

Aircraft

Registration: N8886X
Reported as: Cessna 182D
Category: Airplane
Serial number: 18253286
Engine: Continental O-470-L, 230 horsepower, reciprocating
Damage: Destroyed
Flight: Personal · Part 91
Registered owner: L. H. Lothian & G. Buchman, Jr
Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal
Last inspection: Annual · June 1, 1987
Departed: FLO · Florence, SC
Destination: Melfa, VA

N8886XRegistration cancelled Mar 26, 1991 · Cessna 182DS/N 18253286 Airframe modelCessna 182D

Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

Flight crew

As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.

Role: Pilot
Age: 45
Certificate: Private
Airplane ratings: Single-engine land
Medical: Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
Seat: Left
Toxicology: Performed
Flight hours: 100 total

Weather

Conditions: Instrument (IMC) · Day
Lowest ceiling: 100 ft overcast
Temperature: -0 °F, dew point -0 °F