Cessna 182B accident near Huntsville, Alabama, December 9, 1982
On December 9, 1982 at about 11:32 pm local time, a Cessna 182B, registered N4718S, was substantially damaged in an accident near Huntsville, Alabama (Madison County Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were 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
- December 9, 1982 · about 11:32 pm local time
- Place
- Huntsville, Alabama · Madison County Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182B · all 182Bs on the register
- Registration
- N4718S · no longer on the register · serial R18201401
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE AIRCRAFT COLLIDED WITH TREES DURING A LANDING APPROACH IN INSTRUMENT MEEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS ON A DARK NIGHT. A VFR FLIGHT PLAN WAS FILED. THE AIRCRAFT WAS DAMAGED IN THE COLLISION BUT THE PILOT MANAGED TO CONTINUE THE APPROACH AND LAND. NO INJURIES WERE SUSTAINED. NO VASI WAS AVAILABLE AND THE AIRPORT ELEVATION IS 630 FEET. THE PILOT NORMALLY LANDS AT AN AIRPORT WITH AN ELEVATION OF 22 FEET.
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: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 295 hours in all; 17 in this make and model; 15 in the last 90 days; 173 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 371 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 27 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,200 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming O-540-J3C50 (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Miracle Strip Aviation
The flight
- Departed from: AI 81J FL at 4:21 pm
- Destination: AI Hsv AL
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 36, 8,000 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 350° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 108°F (42°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.