Cessna 182T accident near Rocky Mount, North Carolina, October 22, 2006
On October 22, 2006 at about 7:35 pm local time, a Cessna 182T, registered N2135L, was substantially damaged in an accident near Rocky Mount, North Carolina (Rocky Mount-Wilson Regional airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain aircraft control.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 22, 2006 · about 7:35 pm local time
- Place
- Rocky Mount, North Carolina · Rocky Mount-Wilson Regional · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182T · all 182Ts on the register
- Registration
- N2135L · no longer on the register · serial 18281652
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot had filed an IFR flight to Wilson Industrial Air Center Airport, Wilson, North Carolina (W03). A review of radar data showed the flight overflew W03 then diverted to Rocky Mount-Wilson Regional Airport (RWI), Rocky Mount, North Carolina. An airport employee at RWI stated that, while towing a King Air out of a hangar, he heard a pilot announce over the radio that he was making an approach to runway 4. He stated that the weather at the time was light rain, fog, and mist, and that winds were light and favoring runway 4. He said that he could not see the airplane on approach until it broke through the clouds, approximately 600 to 700 feet above ground level (AGL) estimated, and it was well left of the runway centerline. He could see that it was a Cessna 182. The airplane then climbed back into the clouds and departed the area to the northwest. The next radio communication the employee heard was a King Air pilot asking it anyone was talking to the Cessna 182, as Washington Center had lost contact. Recorded audio communication between the pilot and Washington Air Route Traffic Control Center (ARTCC) found that the pilot reported to ARTCC that he was doing a missed approach at RWI. The controller told the pilot to climb and maintain 3,000 feet. The pilot then requested an alternate destination and the controller listed several airports including Greenville, North Carolina. The pilot asked about the weather at Greenville and the controller reported that the weather was; visibility 7 miles, scattered clouds at 600 feet, broken clouds at 3200 feet, and overcast ceiling at 5500 feet. The pilot accepted the alternate of Greenville and the controller told the pilot to climb and maintain 3,000 feet and turn right direct Greenville. Several seconds passed and the controller asked the pilot "did you copy", the pilot stated "copied yes mam". This was the last radio transmission received from the pilot. The airplane impacted the ground in a steep nose down attitude leaving a 4-foot deep crater. Examination of the airplane found no preimpact mechanical failure or malfunctions that would have prevented the airplane from operating properly. According to the pilot's logbook he had accumulated about 271 hours total time as of September 22, 2006, and 3.3 hours of actual instrument time in the last 90 days preceding the accident.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 271 hours in all
- Last flight review: June 1, 2005
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3.3 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 1, 2005
- Maximum gross weight: 3,100 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540-AB1A5 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: MRH Beaufort NC at 2:40 pm
- Destination: RWI Rocky Mount NC
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 04, 7,100 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 210° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 1.8 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 500 ft
- Temperature: 57°F (14°C), dew point 57°F (14°C)
- Altimeter: 29.88 inHg
- Observation at 7:30 pm from RWI, 6 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.