Cessna 402B accident near Newport News, Virginia, February 9, 1982
On February 9, 1982 at about 9:00 am local time, a Cessna 402B, registered N5218J, was substantially damaged in an accident near Newport News, Virginia (Newport News airport). It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 9, 1982 · about 9:00 am local time
- Place
- Newport News, Virginia · Newport News · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 402B · all 402Bs on the register
- Registration
- N5218J · no longer on the register · serial 402B0905
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT STATED THAT DURING HIS FIRST ILS APPROACH, THE LOCALIZER NEEDLE FLUCTUATED TO THE LEFT. HE MADE CORRECTIVE TURNS TO THE LEFT. WHEN HE BROKE OUT OF THE CLOUDS AT THE DECISION HEIGHT (DH), HE OBSERVED THE RUNWAY TO THE RIGHT AND MADE A MISSED APPROACH. AT THAT TIME, HE ASSUMED THAT HE MADE AN ERROR DUE TO A COCKPIT DISTRACTION WHEN HE TURNED ON HIS LANDING LIGHT. HE REPORTED THE SAME TYPE OF PROBLEM DURING HIS SECOND ILS APPROACH, EXCEPT THE FLUCTUATIONS WERE LARGER. AT THE DH, BOTH OF HIS ILS LOCALIZER NEEDLES SHOWED THAT HE WAS RIGHT OF COURSE. HE SAW A ROW OF LIGHTS TO HIS LEFT THAT HE THOUGHT WAS THE RUNWAY. AFTER HE TURNED LEFT AND DESCENDED, HE REALIZED THEY WERE STREET LIGHTS. DURING HIS CLIMB FOR ANOTHER APPROACH, THE RIGHT WING STRUCK A TREE. HE ENCOUNTERED THE SAME ILS PROBLEM ON A THIRD APPROACH, BUT LANDED SAFELY. A CHECK OF THE ILS TRANSMITTERS AND BOTH RECEIVERS REVEALED NO MALFUNCTION OR FAILURE. THE PLANE HAD AN AUTOPILOT FRONT/BACK SWITCH, WHICH WAS REPORTEDLY SET ON "FRONT".
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,017 hours in all; 153 in this make and model; 15 in the last 90 days; 917 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,511 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 6,300 lb
- Seats: 10
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TSIO-520E (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Louisville KY at 6:30 pm
- Destination: 0Reg0N City OR
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 7, 8,003 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Visibility: 1 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 122°F (50°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:17 am
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.