Cessna 182B accident near Bayou La Batre, Alabama, April 27, 1985
On April 27, 1985 at about 10:44 pm local time, a Cessna 182B, registered N2688G, was destroyed in an accident near Bayou La Batre, Alabama. It was an other work-use flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured; 4 others were unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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
- April 27, 1985 · about 10:44 pm local time
- Place
- Bayou La Batre, Alabama · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured; 4 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182B · all 182Bs on the register
- Registration
- N2688G · no longer on the register · serial 51988
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Other work-use flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
INADVERTANT OPENING OF PARACHUTE IN AIRCRAFT DURING CLIMB TO JUMP ALTITUDE PULLED JUMPER FROM AIRCRAFT. JUMPER STRUCK RIGHT HORIZONTAL TAIL. CONTROL OF AIRCRAFT WAS LOST AND THE PILOT AND THE OTHER THREE JUMPERS EXITED THE AIRCRAFT, DEPLOYED THEIR CHUTES AND LANDED UNINJURED. THE AIRCRAFT IMPACTED THE GROUND IN A VERTICAL OR NEAR VERTICAL DIVE.
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: 366 hours in all; 219 in this make and model; 8 in the last 90 days; 304 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 25, 1984; 18 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,650 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-L (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 5R7 Bayou La Batre AL at 10:35 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 140° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 3,000 ft; scat at 1,500 ft
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 68°F (20°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:47 pm from BFM, 14 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 | 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.