Cessna 182R accident near Mobile, Alabama, February 13, 1987
On February 13, 1987, a Cessna 182R, registered N5448N, was substantially damaged in an accident near Mobile, Alabama (Bates Field). It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were 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 October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 13, 1987
- Place
- Mobile, Alabama · Bates Field
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182R · all 182Rs on the register
- Registration
- N5448N · registry record · serial 18267722
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE STUDENT PLT WAS MAKING A SECOND ATTEMPT TO LAND AFTER A HARD LDG, BOUNCE, AND SUBSEQUENT GO-AROUND. ON THE FIRST ATTEMPT, THE ACFT TOUCHED DOWN HARD ON ALL THREE WHEELS AND SWERVED TO THE RT. THE STUDENT PLT REPORTEDLY PULLED THE NOSE UP AND THE ACFT BEGAN TO PORPOISE. THE CFI ASSUMED CONTROL AND ATTEMPTED TO MINIMIZE THE BOUNCE. LATER EXAMINATION OF THE ACFT REVEALED DAMAGE TO THE NOSE GEAR AND FIREWALL. THE CFI REPORTED THAT BOTH HE AND THE STUDENT HAD BEEN AWAKE FOR 14 HRS AND HAD FLOWN NEARLY 8 HRS AT THE TIME OF THE MISHAP.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,038 hours in all; 50 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 920 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 5, 1987
- Maximum gross weight: 2,800 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470U (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MLB Melbourne FL at 8:20 pm
- Destination: MOB Mobile AL
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 36, 4,365 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 240° at 9 knots
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.