Cessna 182K accident near Hendersonville, North Carolina, September 5, 1988
On September 5, 1988 at about 8:15 pm local time, a Cessna 182K, registered N2636R, was substantially damaged in an accident near Hendersonville, North Carolina (Hendersonville airport). It was a personal 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 November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 5, 1988 · about 8:15 pm local time · cases in 1988
- Place
- Hendersonville, North Carolina · Hendersonville · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182K · all 182Ks on the register
- Registration
- N2636R · registry record · serial 18258336
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT WAS NEARING TOUCHDOWN ON A NORMAL LANDING WHEN THE LEFT SIDE OF THE WINDSCREEN WAS STRUCK BY A BIRD. THE STARTLED PILOT WAS DISTRACTED LONG ENOUGH FOR THE AIRCRAFT TO BOUNCE ON THE RUNWAY. ELEVATOR CONTROL WAS LOST AFTER THE FIRST BOUNCE. A NOSE LOW LANDING OCCURRED NEXT FOLLOWED BY COLLAPSING OF THE NOSE GEAR AND A LOSS OF DIRECTIONAL CONTROL.
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: single-engine land; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 2,353 hours in all; 25 in this make and model; 45 in the last 90 days; 25 in the last 30 days; 1,440 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,915 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 21, 1988; 81 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,800 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-R (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SA3 Boone NC at 7:10 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 32, 3,075 ft by 40 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 320° at 14 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 3,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 68°F (20°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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
- N2636R 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 72,677 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Continental O-470-R 107 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Hendersonville Airport · nearest airport
- Accidents and incidents in North Carolina 1,762 since 1982 · 304 in the last ten years
- North Carolina 7,130 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/ATL88LA246.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.