# NTSB CEN18LA272: Cessna 182, N182GQ, Odessa, TX, July 16, 2018 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · No injuries · Limited investigation · Final report - Date: July 16, 2018, 14:30 local (19:30 UTC) - Place: Odessa, TX - Coordinates: 31.9225, -102.388053 (estimated) - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=31.9225&lon=-102.3881&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Landing](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/550) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Defining event: [Landing: Fire/smoke (non-impact)](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/150) - Highest injury: No injuries - Injuries: 1 uninjured - Status: Completed, report September 14, 2020 - Report: Approved by Office Director - NTSB office: Central Region - Parties: FAA FSDO - NTSB case key (mKey): 97797 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=CEN18LA272 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/97797/pdf - NTSB docket: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=97797 - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN18LA272 ## Probable cause An on-ground fire for reasons that could not be determined based on the available information. ## Findings NTSB's coded findings; those marked are part of the probable cause. - [Not determined](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/05000000): Not determined › Not determined · Unknown/Not determined (probable cause); cases with it: [Cessna 182, 5 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/05000000/cases.md?model=2072702), [All aircraft, 2,247 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/05000000/cases.md) ## Sequence of events The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event best describes what happened. - [Landing: Fire/smoke (non-impact)](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/150) (defining event); cases with it: [Cessna 182, 1 case](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/150/sequence.md?model=2072702), [All aircraft, 504 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/150/sequence.md) ## Analysis After landing at the destination airport, the pilot smelled smoke, so he shut down the airplane, exited, and saw a fire in the vicinity of the baggage compartment. The fire consumed most of the fuselage and the inboard portion of both wings. The pilot recently had a lithium-ion battery installed in the emergency locator transmitter (ELT). However, the ELT and battery were examined and determined not to be the source of the fire. Investigators were not able to determine the origin of the fire due to the extent of fire damage. ## Factual narrative On July 16, 2018, about 1430 central daylight time, a Cessna 182 airplane, N182GQ, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident at Odessa-Schlemeyer Field (ODO), Odessa, Texas. The pilot was not injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. When the pilot landed at ODO, the pilot smelled smoke, so he shut down and exited the airplane. He saw fire in the vicinity of the baggage compartment. The fire consumed a majority of the fuselage and the inboard portion of both wings. The wreckage was examined by a responding Federal Aviation Administration inspector. He could not determine a source of ignition and provided photos for the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) Materials Laboratory Fire & Explosion Specialist. After reviewing the photos, she assessed that the level of fire damage was so great that determining a point of origin would be both difficult and unreliable. The pilot stated that he had recently installed a lithium-ion battery in the emergency locator transmitter (ELT). Since the ELT lithium-ion battery was suspected to be a possible source, the ELT was removed and sent to the NTSB Materials Laboratory for examination. The examination of the batteries did not reveal any signatures of failure that would have been the fire's point of origin. Investigators were not able to determine the source of the fire. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N182GQ](https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N182GQ), registered now, S/N 18265848 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: Cessna 182 (Q) - Registry model: [Cessna 182](https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-182) (registry code 2072702) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 18265848 - Year built: 1980 - Airframe hours: 4240 - Engines: Continental O-470-U 230 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Fire: On-Ground - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal - Departed: Sugar Land, TX - Destination: ODO, Odessa, TX - Airport: ODO, Odessa-Schlemeyer Field, runway 34, 5,003 × 75 ft, asphalt ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 22; injuries: none; commercial; airplane ratings: multi-engine land, single-engine land; instrument ratings: airplane; medical: unknown; seat: left ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: 190° at 9 knots, gusting 17 - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Temperature: 93 °F, dew point 54 °F - Altimeter: 30.10 inHg - Observed at: KODO ## FAA reports on this event (1) The FAA's own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date (OpenAirDocs). - [Accident 20180716011329A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20180716011329A), Jul 16, 2018: Cessna 182, Odessa, TX, Destroyed. On July 16, 2018, at approximately 1420 local time, N182GQ, a Cessna 182 was destroyed by fire on the taxiway near runway 11 at Odessa Schlemeyer field in… ## Docket (3 files) The files NTSB released with the investigation on July 1, 2020, on NTSB's docket system: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=97797. 2.1 MB in all. - Accident Findings (item 1, .PDF, 55 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40485039&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Accident%20Findings-Master.PDF - NTSB Form 6120 Not Received (item 2, .PDF, 50 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40485040&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=NTSB%20Form%206120%20Not%20Received-Master.PDF - Photos (item 3, .PDF, 2.0 MB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40485041&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Photos-Master.PDF 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. --- 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.