Cessna TR182 accident near Wilmington, North Carolina, August 31, 1984
On August 31, 1984 at about 1:15 pm local time, a Cessna TR182, registered N5071R, was destroyed in an accident near Wilmington, North Carolina (New Hanover Company airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries. 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
- August 31, 1984 · about 1:15 pm local time
- Place
- Wilmington, North Carolina · New Hanover Company
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna TR182 · all TR182s on the register
- Registration
- N5071R · registry record · serial R18200632
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE POWER LOSS OCCURRED IN CRUISE AT 10,000 FT. AT 0903 EDT THE PILOT NOTIFIED WILMINGTON APPROACH CONTROL THAT HE HAD A 'ROUGH ENGINE' AND REQUESTED VECTORS TO WILMINGTON.APPROACH CONTROL RESPONDED WITH HEADING INFORMATION FOR THE BACK COURSE APPROACH AND A DESCENT TO 1,600 FT. AFTER INITIALLY TELLING THE CONTROLLER OF THE ENGINE TROUBLE NO FURTHER MENTION OF ENGINE STATUS WAS MADE BY THE PILOT. AT 0906 THE PILOT TRANSMITTED THAT HE WAS LOOKING FOR THE APPROACH PLATE AND ASKED FOR THE LOCALIZER FREQ. ABOUT 3 MINS LATER, AFTER BEING GIVEN THE FREQ, THE PILOT WAS INFORMED BY THE CONTROLLER THAT HE WAS GOING THROUGH THE LOCALIZER AND GIVEN A HEADING CHANGE. THE PILOT STATED THAT HE EXTENDED THE LDG GEAR AT 4,800 FT BECAUSE HE DID NOT KNOW HOW FAR HE WAS FROM THE ARPT. TWICE DURING THE APPROACH THE PILOT WAS ADVISED OF HIS DISTANCE FROM THE FINAL APPROACH FIX. THE ACFT IMPACTED TREES APRX 2 MILES FROM THE ARPT.
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: 419 hours in all; 148 in this make and model; 33 in the last 90 days; 290 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 815 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 4, 1984; 76 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,100 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming O-540-L3C5D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: N69 Stormville NY at 9:00 am
- Destination: GRE No.Myrtle Bch SC
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 230° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 2 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 5,000 ft; scat at 1,200 ft
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 73°F (23°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:21 pm from ILM, 2 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 | 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.