Cessna 182P accident near Elyria, Ohio, February 20, 1986
On February 20, 1986 at about 2:12 am local time, a Cessna 182P, registered N1523M, was destroyed in an accident near Elyria, Ohio (Lorain County Regional airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed and 3 people were seriously injured. 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
- February 20, 1986 · about 2:12 am local time
- Place
- Elyria, Ohio · Lorain County Regional · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed and 3 people were seriously injured.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182P · all 182Ps on the register
- Registration
- N1523M · no longer on the register · serial 18264363
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT WAS CLEARED FOR AND EXECUTED A RWY 17 ILS APCH AT NIGHT. PRIOR TO BEGINNING THE APCH HE WAS INFORMED THAT VIS WAS 1/8 MILE. MINIMUM FOR THE APCH WAS 1/2 MILE. AT THE MIDDLE MARKER THE PLT RATED PAX IN THE RIGHT SEAT TOLD THE PIC THAT THE RWY WAS NOT IN SIGHT. THE PAX SAID HE HAD ACTIVATED THE RWY LIGHTS WHEN THE APCH WAS STARTED. TWO PAX, BOTH PLTS, REPORTED THAT THE MISSED APCH WAS INITIATED. ONE RECALLED NOTHING MORE. THE OTHER RECALLED A CRUNCH. TERRAIN AROUND THE ARPT WAS FLAT. THE ACFT STRUCK A TREE APRX 12 FT ABOVE THE GROUND AT A DISTANCE OF 2100 FT FROM THE RWY APCH END THRESHOLD ON A RELATIVE BEARING OF 230 DEGS. AT THE TIME OF IMPACT THE ACFT WAS IN A RIGHT TURN ON A HEADING OF 345 DEGS. THE MISSED APCH PROCEDURE CALLS FOR A CLIMB TO 1700 FT THEN A CLIMBING LEFT TURN TO 3000 FT. FLAPS WERE FOUND IN THE RETRACTED POSITION.
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: 649 hours in all; 182 in this make and model; 46 in the last 90 days; 15 in the last 30 days; 516 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,427 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 5, 1985; 139 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,950 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-S (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: GMU Greenville SC at 9:40 pm
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 7, 5,000 ft by 100 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 340° at 5 knots
- Sky: not recorded at 200 ft
- Temperature: 37°F (3°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:45 am from 22G, 1 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.