Cessna 182E accident near Saluda, North Carolina, December 30, 1990
On December 30, 1990 at about 2:35 am local time, a Cessna 182E, registered N9383X, was destroyed in an accident near Saluda, North Carolina. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE CONTINUED VISUAL FLIGHT RULES FLIGHT INTO INSTRUMENT METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS. CONTRIBUTING FACTOR WERE FOG, RAIN, AND LOW CEILING.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 30, 1990 · about 2:35 am local time
- Place
- Saluda, North Carolina · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182E · all 182Es on the register
- Registration
- N9383X · no longer on the register · serial 182053783
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PRIVATE PILOT DEPARTED PUNTA GORDA, FLORIDA ENROUTE TO ASHVILLE, NORTH CAROLINA. THE PILOT WAS NOT INSTRUMENT RATED, AND HAD NOT FILED A FLIGHT PLAN FOR THE FLIGHT. WITNESSES IN THE AREA OF THE ACCIDENT SITE REPORTED SIGHTING THE AIRCRAFT AT ABOUT 2130. WITNESSES STATED THAT AT THE TIME OF THE SIGHTING, THE WEATHER IN THE AREA WAS DARK AND RAINING, AND THE VISIBILITY WAS GREATLY REDUCED DUE TO FOG. THE AIRCRAFT CRASHED INTO TREES IN THE MOUNTAINOUS AREA. THE WRECKAGE WAS SCATTERED OVER APPROXIMATELY 372 FEET.
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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 203 hours in all; 157 in this make and model; 20 in the last 90 days; 5 in the last 30 days; 185 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,800 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Punta Gorda FL
- Destination: AVL Ashville NC
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Visibility: 1 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°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.
Other NTSB records under N9383X the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.