Cessna 182R accident near Bryson City, North Carolina, November 19, 1985
On November 19, 1985 at about 8:00 pm local time, a Cessna 182R, registered N9547E, was destroyed in an accident near Bryson City, North Carolina (Sossamon airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 3 people were killed. 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
- November 19, 1985 · about 8:00 pm local time
- Place
- Bryson City, North Carolina · Sossamon · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 3 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182R · all 182Rs on the register
- Registration
- N9547E · no longer on the register · serial 18268424
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT MADE A NORMAL APCH AND HAD THE FLAPS DOWN TO ABOUT 15 DEG. TOUCH DOWN AS ABOUT ONE THIRD DOWN THE RWY. THERE WAS A BOUNCE AND THE RIGHT WING CAME UP AND THE ACFT VEERED TO THE LEFT OFF THE RWY. POWER WAS APPLIED AND THE ACFT PARALLELED THE RWY. THE LEFT WING CONTACTED SEVERAL SMALL LIMBS OF TREES ALONG THE SIDE OF THE GRASSY AREA. IT LIFTED OFF ABOUT THE MIDDLE OF THE TURN AROUND ON THE EAST END OF THE ARPT. THE LEFT WING CONTACTED A TREE AND THE ACFT ROLLED LEFT AND DOVE INTO THE RIVER ABOUT 200 FT BELOW. THERE WAS A VARIABLE CROSS WIND. THERE WERE SKID MARKS IN THE GRASS AND ON THE ASPHALT TURNAROUND.
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: 171 hours in all; 84 in this make and model; 24 in the last 90 days; 4 in the last 30 days; 96 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 96 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 14, 1985; 21 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,100 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-U (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: EHO Shelby NC
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 10, 2,200 ft by 47 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 200° at 12 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 1,000 ft
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 54°F (12°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:53 pm from TYS, 35 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
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.