Cessna 182P accident near Hawkinsville, Georgia, October 21, 1985
On October 21, 1985 at about 10:10 pm local time, a Cessna 182P, registered N66RD, was destroyed in an accident near Hawkinsville, Georgia (Hawkinsville Pulaski CO airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. 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 November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 21, 1985 · about 10:10 pm local time · cases in 1985
- Place
- Hawkinsville, Georgia · Hawkinsville Pulaski CO · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182P · all 182Ps on the register
- Registration
- N66RD · registry record · serial 18263963
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT CAUGHT FIRE DURING A FORCED LNDG AFTER LOSING ENG POWER DURING CRUISE. THE PLT APPROACHED A HI-WAY FOR LANDING AND SMOKE FILLED THE COCKPIT. DURING ROLLOUT FIRE CAME THRU THE FIREWALL AND THE PLT EVACUATED THE MOVING ACFT. THE UNOCCUPIED ACFT CONTINUED OFF THE ROAD WHERE IT COLLIDED WITH A TREE & BURNED.
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: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 3,093 hours in all; 15 in this make and model; 2,968 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: None (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,711 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 14, 1985; 2 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: AYS Waycross GA
- Destination: PDK Atlanta GA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 360° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; scat at 10,000 ft
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N66RD on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Cessna 182 Skylane 11,834 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Cessna 72,677 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Continental O-470 S 22 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Hawkinsville-Pulaski County · nearest airport
- Waycross-Ware County · departed from
- Dekalb-Peachtree Airport · bound for
- Accidents and incidents in Georgia 2,138 since 1982 · 361 in the last ten years
- Georgia 8,806 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/ATL86FKG03.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.