Cessna 182 accident near Thomaston, Georgia, November 22, 1988
On November 22, 1988 at about 1:30 am local time, a Cessna 182, registered N5473B, was substantially damaged in an accident near Thomaston, Georgia (Reginald Grant Memorial airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 4 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
- November 22, 1988 · about 1:30 am local time
- Place
- Thomaston, Georgia · Reginald Grant Memorial · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182 · all 182s on the register
- Registration
- N5473B · registry record · serial 33473
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT AND THREE PASSENGERS WERE ON A NIGHT FLIGHT IN AN AIRCRAFT THAT WAS EQUIPPED TO CARRY SKYDIVERS. DURING THE APPROACH TO LAND, THE LANDING LIGHT FAILED. WHILE ATTEMPTING TO GET THE LIGHT TO OPERATE, THE PILOT ALLOWED AN UNDERSHOOT TO DEVELOP. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE AIRCRAFT LANDED SHORT OF THE RUNWAY AND THE NOSE GEAR FAILED WHEN THE NOSE- WHEEL STRUCK THE RUNWAY LIP. THE AIRCRAFT THEN SLID APPROXIMATELY 300 FEET AND NOSED OVER. MIRL & THRESHOLD LIGHTS WERE INSTALLED, BUT THERE WERE NO VASI LIGHTS.
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
- Flight time: 898 hours in all; 217 in this make and model; 86 in the last 90 days; 22 in the last 30 days; 864 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,247 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 3, 1988
- Maximum gross weight: 2,550 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-L (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 3, 3,049 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 010° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 21,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 54°F (12°C), dew point 46°F (8°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:52 am from MCN, 40 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.