ERA26FA269

On July 12, 2026, about 1909 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 182J, N43TB, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident near Piseco, New York. The pilot was fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. According to a witness who lived near the Piseco Airport (K09), Piseco, New York, he was driving his truck down the road that paralleled the runway. He heard a very loud noise and turned to observe an airplane climbing from the runway before it banked to the left and impacted a tree line. Airport security video showed the airplane approaching runway 22, bounce, and start to porpoise. It bounced three times before it climbed and banked to the left. The airplane then disappeared from the video frame. Another security camera on airport property showed the airplane in a steep left bank angle before it impacted trees. The accident site was compact, and all major components of the airplane were identified. The wreckage was located in dense woods abeam the midfield point of the runway and had been consumed by fire. It came to rest inverted, oriented on a 210° magnetic heading, and was about 200 yards to the left of the centerline. The pilot held a private pilot certificate with ratings for airplane single-engine land, airplane single-engine sea. He reported a total flight experience of 1,020 hours on an application for an FAA third-class medical certificate, dated April 12, 2016. He had been approved for BasicMed since 2018. The airplane was manufactured in 1966 and powered by a Continental IO-470, 230-hp engine, driving a two-blade McCauley constant-speed propeller. The airplane was operated in Alaska for several years and was modified with the WREN 460 STOL conversion. According to the manufacturer of the modification, the airplane’s main spar was upgraded to a heavier spar that supported the newer flap system. It also included a new aileron system, a new stabilator system, and added a canard to the forward cowling just behind the propeller. The modification also added five feathering drag plates on the top of each wing to assist in turning the airplane at slow speeds. According to FAA aircraft registration records, the pilot purchased the airplane on February 20, 2026.