- Date
- August 31, 2025, 10:45 local (14:45 UTC)
- Place
- Lebanon, OH
- Injuries
- 4 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Aircraft
- N628FNCessna 182
- Defining event
- Takeoff: Runway excursion
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 4, 2025
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties
- FAA/FSDO
- FAA report
- 20250831013609A
- Case key
- 200908
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The pilot’s failure to maintain directional control of the airplane during takeoff, which resulted in a runway excursion and collision with a sign.
Findings · 2
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The pilot was preparing to depart for a personal flight but had not correctly set the airplane’s flaps for takeoff. During the takeoff the pilot rotated the airplane, but it would not climb due to the incorrect flap setting and it remained in ground effect. The airplane drifted off the side of the runway in the prevailing crosswind and struck a taxiway sign with the left main landing gear and empennage, which resulted in substantial damage to the left horizontal stabilizer. The pilot subsequently landed the airplane in a field that was off to the side of the runway uneventfully.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N628FN
- Reported as
- Cessna 182 (S)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 18280227
- Built
- 1998
- Airframe hours
- 4,528.9
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-540, 230 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Steven Immerman
- Registered owner
- Flying Neutrons LLC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Utility; Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · September 4, 2024
- Destination
- EYE · Indianapolis, IN
- Airport
- I68 · Warren County/John Lane Fld, runway 01, 4,505 × 75 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- Auto-pilot, ADS-B, Stall warning system, Handheld GPS, Onboard weather
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 · 3
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 59
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- BasicMed, Without waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 415.8 total · 34.7 in this make and model · 306.3 as pilot in command · 2.6 in the last 90 days · 2.6 in the last 30 days · 0 in the last 24 hours
- Role
- Pilot-rated passenger
- Age
- 18
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Without waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Right
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Role
- Pilot-rated passenger
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Seat
- Rear
- Restraint
- Lap only
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 110° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 66 °F, dew point 46 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.26 inHg
- Observed at
- MGY, 8 nm away
- METAR
- KMGY 311453Z AUTO 11007KT 10SM CLR 19/08 A3026 RMK AO2 SLP244 T01890083 51012
Docket · 4
The files NTSB released with the investigation on December 4, 2025, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 2.2 MB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.