ERA25LA362

NTSB accident investigation · Cessna 182F · Williamsburg, VA · September 22, 2025

Accident · Minor injuriesClass 3 · LimitedPreliminary report
Date
September 22, 2025, 17:30 local (21:30 UTC)
Place
Williamsburg, VA
Injuries
1 minor
Damage
Substantial damage
Phase of flight
Enroute
Aircraft
N3192UCessna 182F
Defining event
Enroute: Loss of engine power (total)
Weather
Visual (VMC) · Day
Status
Investigation ongoing
Investigation class
Class 3
NTSB office
Eastern Region Aviation
Parties
FAA FSDO
Case key
201069

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

On this page

Preliminary report

What NTSB knew early in the investigation. It may change in the final report.

On September 22, 2025, about 1730 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 182F, N3192U, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Williamsburg, Virginia. The airline transport pilot sustained minor injuries. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. The pilot reported that, shortly after departure from Waltrip Williamsburg Executive Airport (JGG), Williamsburg, Virginia while operating at 2,000 ft mean sea level, the engine “stumbled” and lost all power. According to the pilot, he heard what sounded like a “crunching noise” that coincided with the loss of engine power. The pilot attempted to return to the departure airport but noted that the airplane was too far away to reach the runway. The pilot attempts to restore engine power were unsuccessful, and he performed a forced landing to a field. The airplane touched down in a recently harvested corn field. The pilot was unable to stop the airplane before it overran the field, impacted a tree and flipped over. The impact resulted in substantial damage to the wings and fuselage; the right wing was impact separated mid span and there were numerous buckles in the airframe. The pilot reported that the airplane departed JGG with about 60 gallons of aviation fuel on board. Initial examination of the engine at the accident site by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector revealed that the propeller could be rotated partially but was unable to complete a full 360° of rotation. There was oil on the underside of the engine compartment, but no oil was observed on the belly of the fuselage, and there was no visible damage to the engine. The airplane was retained for further examination.

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.

Aircraft

Registration
N3192U
Reported as
Cessna 182F
Category
Airplane
Serial number
18254592
Built
1962
Damage
Substantial damage
Flight
Personal · Part 91
Operator
Colonial Aviators LLC
Registered owner
Colonial Aviators LLC
Airworthiness certificate
Standard, Normal
Departed
JGG · Williamsburg, VA
Destination
YFJ · West Point, VA

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.

Weather

Conditions
Visual (VMC) · Day
Visibility
10 statute miles
Lowest ceiling
None
Temperature
79 °F, dew point 61 °F
Altimeter
30.06 inHg
Observed at
FYJ, 11 nm away
METAR
METAR KFYJ 222055Z AUTO 10SM CLR 26/16 A3006 RMK AO1 T02580164=