Cessna 182RG accident near Jacksonville, Alabama, February 20, 1988
On February 20, 1988 at about 10:30 pm local time, a Cessna 182RG, registered N1703R, was substantially damaged in an accident near Jacksonville, Alabama. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. 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
- February 20, 1988 · about 10:30 pm local time · cases in 1988
- Place
- Jacksonville, Alabama · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182RG · all 182RGs on the register
- Registration
- N1703R · registry record · serial R-18200524
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT HAD JUST PURCHASED THE AIRCRAFT AND IT HAD LESS THAN ONE HOUR ON THE OVERHAULED ENGINE. THE PILOT WAS AT 1500 FEET WHEN THE ENGINE QUIT. ON FINAL APPROACH TO THE EMERGENCY LANDING AREA, THE AIRCRAFT COLLIDED WITH TREES. THE ENGINE EXAMINATION DISCLOSED THAT THE WRONG COUNTERWEIGHT CIRCLIPS WERE INSTALLED DURING THE ENGINE OVERHAUL. THIS CONDITION RESULTED IN THE FAILURE OF THE CRANKSHAFT COUNTERWEIGHT AND CAMSHAFT. THE ROD RETAINING NUTS WERE NOT INSTALLED PER LYCOMING SI 1106.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 15,900 hours in all; 1,000 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,048 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 9, 1988; 1 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,100 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming O-540-J3C5D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Jacksonville AL at 8:28 pm
- Destination: BHM Birmingham AL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 290° at 8 knots, gusting 8
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded
- Temperature: 52°F (11°C), dew point 28°F (-2°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:50 pm from AND, 3 miles away
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
- N1703R on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Cessna 182 Skylane 11,833 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Cessna 72,678 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Lycoming O-540-J3C5D 24 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International · bound for
- Accidents and incidents in Alabama 1,211 since 1982 · 173 in the last ten years
- Alabama 4,355 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/ATL88LA095.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.