# NTSB MIA04FA060: Cessna 182P, N8148G, Spring Hill, FL, March 16, 2004 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · Fatal · Field investigation · Final report - Date: March 15, 2004, 20:10 local (Mar 16, 2004, 01:10 UTC) - Place: Spring Hill, FL - Coordinates: 28.385, -82.448333 - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=28.3850&lon=-82.4483&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Enroute](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/400) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: Fatal - Injuries: 1 fatal - Status: Completed, report March 26, 2007 - Report: Approved by Office Director - Parties: Cessna Aircraft, Teledyne Continental, Orlando FSDO - NTSB case key (mKey): 58906 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=MIA04FA060 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/58906/pdf - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/MIA04FA060 ## Probable cause The non instrument rated pilot's decision to attempt VFR flight into IMC conditions resulting in an in-flight loss of control. ## Sequence of events In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - In flight encounter with weather, cruise - light condition - dark night - weather condition - low ceiling - vfr flight into imc - continued, pilot in command (cause) - Loss of control - in flight, maneuvering - aircraft control - not maintained, pilot in command (cause) - In flight collision with object, descent - uncontrolled - object - tree(s) - In flight collision with terrain/water, descent - uncontrolled - terrain condition - ground ## Analysis The non-instrument rated pilot departed VFR from Brooksville, Florida, enroute to Kissimmee Gateway Airport, Orlando, Florida. No flight plan was filed and it was not determined if the pilot received a weather briefing. The weather at Brooksville 7 minutes before the pilot departed was, few clouds at 600 feet, 2,000 feet overcast, light rain, and 9 miles visibility. A witness, who lived about 1/4 mile from the crash site, heard the airplane fly over his house. The witness stated the airplane sounded like it was real low, flying in an easterly direction at full throttle. Less than a minute later, the witness heard a "thud" when the airplane hit the ground. The witness called the 911, and departed his home to search for the airplane. The witness stated it was very dark, cloudy, and there was initially a light rain which became a heavy rain. The witness located the crash site about an hour after the accident. A special weather observation was taken at Brooksville 3 minutes after the accident. There were few clouds at 700 feet, overcast clouds at 2,000 feet, visibility 2 miles, with heavy rain, and mist. Examination of the crash site revealed the airplane collided with trees and the ground in a descending right turn.The crash debris line was on a heading of 170-degrees magnetic and 140 feet long. No anomalies were found with the airframe, engine assembly or accessories. ## Factual narrative HISTORY OF FLIGHT On March 15, 2004, about 2210 Eastern Standard Time, a Cessna 182P, N8148G registered to Nora Flight Services Inc., operating as a 14 CFR Part 91 personal flight, collided with trees and the ground while maneuvering in the vicinity of Spring Hill, Florida. Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed. The non-instrument rated private pilot received fatal injuries. The flight departed from Hernando County Airport, Brooksville, Florida, Airport, on March 15, 2004, between, 1959 to 2000. The pilot was en route to Kissimmee Gateway Airport, Orlando, Florida. The mishap pilot was dropped off at the airport by one of his employees. Personnel at the Hernando County Airport fixed base operator observed the pilot walking out to his airplane at 1945. The airplane was estimated to have departed Hernando Airport about 10 minutes after the pilot had arrived at his airplane. A witness, who lived about 1/4 mile from the crash site, heard the airplane fly over his house. The witness stated, "The airplane sounded to be real low," and was flying in an easterly direction. A short time later the witness heard a "thud" sound. The witness further stated, "the motor seemed to [be] running good, was not missing at all, but sounded like [it was] running at full throttle." The witness stated, it was dark, cloudy, and there was a light rain. The witness called the 911 emergency operators and departed his home to search for the airplane. The rain started to increase and the airplane was located at 2115. PERSONNEL INFORMATION Review of information on file with the FAA Airman's Certification Division, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, revealed the pilot was issued a private pilot certificate on October 29, 2003, with ratings for airplane single engine land. The pilot held a third class medical issued on August 8, 2003, with no restrictions. Review of the pilot's logbook revealed the pilot had accumulated 324 hours. The total time in the Cessna 182P and total time flown in the last 30 and 90 days was not determined. The pilot had logged 6.3 hours of actual instruments and 5.5 hours of simulated instruments. All instrument and simulated instrument flight time was conducted with an instructor pilot. The pilot had recorded 34.8 hours of night flight. The pilot's last flight review was conducted on October 29, 2003. AIRCRAFT INFORMATION The last annual inspection was conducted on July 1, 2003, and the tachometer was 3616.0, and the total time in service was 3,606.0 hours. The airplane had flown 247.7 hours since the annual inspection. The engine was overhauled at Certified Engines Unlimited, Inc., Opa-Locka, Florida, on January 24, 2001, and the engine was reinstalled on the airplane on February 8, 2001. The engine has accumulated 543.7 hours since overhaul. An invoice from American Aviation located at Hernando Airport revealed the pilots' push to talk switch on N8148G was replaced on March 15, 2004. The tachometer read 3,873.6 hours at the time of the replacement. The tachometer time at the crash site was 3873.7. A system type certificate (STC) had been completed in April 1986 for autogas. It was not determined when or where the airplane was last refueled before the accident. The amount of fuel at take off or at the crash site was not determined. METEOROLOGICAL INFORMATION The special 2013 surface weather observation for Hernando County Airport, Brooksville, Florida, taken 3 minutes after the accident was: wind 350-degrees at 5 knots, visibility 2 miles, heavy rain, mist, few clouds at 700 feet, 2,000 overcast, temperature 66-degrees Fahrenheit, dew point temperature 66-degrees Fahrenheit, and altimeter 30.06. There was no record available to indicate if the pilot had received or had not received a weather briefing before he departed on the flight. The 1953 surface weather observation for Hernando County Airport taken 7 minutes before the pilot departed was wind: 330-degrees at 6 knots, visibility 9 miles, light rain, few clouds at 600 feet, 2,000 feet overcast, temperature 66-degrees Fahrenheit, dew point temperature 66-degrees Fahrenheit, and altimeter 30.06. WRECKAGE AND IMPACT INFORMATION The wreckage was located in a cultivated pine tree wooded area. The pine trees were about 30 feet tall and 9-inches in diameter at the base of the trees. The tree rows were separated 12 feet apart, and the trees were 5 feet apart. The accident site was 4.9 miles south of Hernando County Airport on the Crossbar Ranch in the vicinity of Spring Hill, Florida. Examination of the crash site revealed the airplane collided with the trees in a descending right turn in a descent angle of 20-degrees on a southerly heading. The crash debris line was on a heading of 170-degrees magnetic. The propeller blades were located about 40-feet down the crash debris line in a crater. Both propeller blades were separated. The propeller hub and the majority of the crankshaft propeller flange had separated. Both propeller blades exhibited chord wise scarring and "s" bending. One propeller blade tip was damaged. The propeller spinner was destroyed. The engine assembly was separated and was located about 50 feet down the crash debris line. A portion of the right wing was located 65 feet down the crash debris line. The fuselage was located inverted 67 feet down the crash debris line. The left wing and aileron was located 140 feet down the crash debris line. Trees were located along the debris path with diagonal cuts, and black paint transfer marks were present on one tree branch. The crash debris line extended 140 feet from the initial point of impact. Examination of the airplane revealed the upper and lower engine cowling were damaged and separated. The nose wheel was separated from the firewall. The engine, firewall, and instrument panel had separated from the airframe. The engine assembly remained attached to the firewall by cables; wires, and hoses. Fuel line continuity could not be established due to damage. The oil cooler was crushed aft into the No. 5 cylinder. The No. 5 cylinder was damaged and compressed aft into the No. 3 cylinder. The cooling fins on the No.1 cylinder were broken. The propeller governor separated from its mounting pad. Both magnetos were damaged and separated from their mounting pads. The magneto ignition leads were damaged. The exhaust system and muffler were crushed and broken. The induction tubing was broken. The carburetor was broken and hanging by the throttle linkage. The gascolator was broken and debris was present near the top of the screen. The mixture lever and hose fittings were broken. The vacuum pump and starter were broken off. The oil sump was broken and crushed upward into the engine and the oil filter was bent and crushed. The forward and aft cabin area were destroyed and compressed aft. The left cabin door separated from the airframe and was located near the end of the crash debris line. The right cabin door was damaged. The windshield, left and right cabin door windows, left and right rear aft cabin window, and rear window were broken. The cabin roof was buckled downward and compressed aft. The instrument panel was fragmented and portions of the instrument panel were observed with the engine and firewall. The altimeter, vertical speed indicator, attitude indicator, airspeed indicator, and clock were destroyed. The directional gyro was damaged and disassembled. Rotational scoring was observed on the case and on the rotor. An Apollo GX50 global positioning system was installed in the airplane and was destroyed. A standby vacuum system was installed on the airplane, and the standby vacuum selector switch was in the off position. The control cable on the standby vacuum system had separated. The throttle was out one half of an inch, which equates to the near full forward position. The mixture was full rich, and the propeller was near full forward. The left and right main landing gear remain ## Aircraft - Registration: [N8148G](https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N8148G-2017-06-19), registration cancelled 2017-06-19, S/N 18263333, built 1974 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: Cessna 182P - Registry model: [Cessna 182P](https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-182p) (registry code 2075816) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Continental O-470 series](https://openairdocs.org/engine/continental-o-470-series) (registry code 17026, reciprocating) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 18263333 - Airframe hours: 3827.7 - Engines: Continental O-470R 230 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Operator: Mohamed H. Kadri - Registered owner: Nora Flight Services Inc. - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal - Last inspection: Annual, July 1, 2003, 248 hours before - Departed: KBKV, Brooksville, FL - Destination: KISM, Kissimme, FL ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 49; injuries: fatal; student, private; airplane ratings: single-engine land; medical: class 3, without waivers/limitations; last flight review October 1, 2003; seat: left; toxicology performed; flight hours: 324 total, 46 as pilot in command ## Weather - Conditions: Instrument (IMC), Night/dark - Wind: 350° at 5 knots - Visibility: 2 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: 2,000 ft overcast - Temperature: 66 °F, dew point 66 °F - Altimeter: 30.05 inHg - Observed at: KBKV, 5 nm away ## 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 20040315016969A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20040315016969A), Mar 15, 2004: Cessna 182P, Springhill, FL, Destroyed, 1 fatal. (-23) On March 15, 2004, at 2005 hours local time, a Cessna 182, N8148G, registered to nora flight services, collided with the ground at Springhill, Florida.… ## Other investigations on N8148G (2) 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. - [NTSB MKC84LA207](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/MKC84LA207), Jul 9, 1984: Cessna 182P (N8148G), East Lynne, MO, substantial damage - [NTSB MKC78FCA48](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/MKC78FCA48), Aug 30, 1978: Cessna 182 (N8148G), Cape Girardeau, MO, substantial damage 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.