Cessna R182 accident near Crossville, Tennessee, January 7, 1985
On January 7, 1985 at about 9:10 pm local time, a Cessna R182, registered N4716R, was destroyed in an accident near Crossville, Tennessee. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 4 people were killed. 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
- January 7, 1985 · about 9:10 pm local time
- Place
- Crossville, Tennessee · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 4 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna R182 · all R182s on the register
- Registration
- N4716R · no longer on the register · serial R18200606
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT COLLIDED WITH WOODED, RISING TERRAIN AT AN ELEVATION OF ABOUT 2800 FT MSL ON THE WEST SLOPE OF HINCH MOUNTAIN. A PASSENGER, WHO SURVIVED THE CRASH, BUT DIED LATER DUE TO BURNS, REPORTED THAT LIGHT CONDITIONS WERE DARK & SHE COULD NOT SEE ANYTHING OUTSIDE THE ACFT BEFORE IMPACT. SHE HEARD THE PLT REPORT ON THE RADIO THAT THERE WAS ICE ON THE ACFT. HE HAD OBTAINED 5 FSS WX BRIEFINGS PRIOR TO TAKEOFF. A COLD FRONTAL SYSTEM WAS ON HIS PROPOSED FLT PATH. THERE WERE NUMEROUS PLT REPORTS OF ICING CONDITIONS IN THE ST LOUIS AREA & IN TENNESSEE. ANOTHER PLT REPORTED ICE IN THE CLOUDS NEAR THE CRASH SITE. THE PLT OF N4716R HAD TOLD FRIENDS THAT HE HAD MUCH MORE FLT EXPERIENCE THAN HE ACTUALLY HAD. ALSO, HE TOLD THE FSS BRIEFERS HE WAS INSTRUMENT RATED. ABOUT 11 MI AWAY AT CROSSVILLE, TN, THE 1450 & 1526 CST WX WAS IN PART: 200 FT OBSCURED, VISIBILITY 1/2 MI WITH FOG, TEMP 32 DEG & DEW POINT 31 DEG. THE ELEV AT CROSSVILLE WAS 1881 FT. AN INVESTIGATION REVEALED EVIDENCE THE ACFT WAS IN LEVEL, POWERED FLT WHEN IT CRASHED.
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
- Flight time: 260 hours in all; 20 in this make and model; 60 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,506 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 8, 1984; 70 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,100 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming O-540-J3C5D (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: Sparta IL at 6:30 pm
- Destination: Swansboro NC
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 270° at 10 knots
- Sky: not recorded
- Temperature: 32°F (0°C), dew point 30°F (-1°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:50 pm from CSV, 11 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
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.