Cessna 182A accident near Warm Springs, Georgia, January 23, 1991
On January 23, 1991 at about 6:00 pm local time, a Cessna 182A, registered N4718D, was substantially damaged in an accident near Warm Springs, Georgia (Roosevelt Memorial airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
AN ELECTRICAL SHORT RELATED TO THE ALTERNATOR FROM AN UNDETERMINED SOURCE.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 23, 1991 · about 6:00 pm local time
- Place
- Warm Springs, Georgia · Roosevelt Memorial · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182A · all 182As on the register
- Registration
- N4718D · registry record · serial 34818
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
ACCORDING TO THE PILOT, DURING THE ENGINE RUNUP, THE RIGHT MAG DROP WAS SIGNIFICANT. WITH THE MAG SWITCH BACK ON BOTH, IT WAS OK. AGAIN ON THE RIGHT MAG THE ENGINE BACKFIRED & QUIT. IT WAS STARTED AGAIN WITH THE SAME RPM DROP ON THE RIGHT MAG. PUFFS OF SMOKE WERE OBSERVED FROM UNDER THE ENGINE. HE GOT OUT, OPENED THE COWLING, & SAW FLAMES. THE LOCAL FD PUT OUT THE FIRE. AN FAA INSPECTOR FOUND THAT THE FIRE INITIATED FROM THE ALTERNATOR. THE INSTRUMENT PANEL WAS ALSO BURNED BUT NOT THE INTERIOR SIDE OF THE FIREWALL. A SHORT APPEARED TO HAVE OCCURRED AT THE TOP OF THE INSTRUMENT PANEL.
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: 1,229 hours in all; 533 in this make and model; 32 in the last 90 days; 9 in the last 30 days; 1,195 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, December 14, 1990; 29 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,650 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470R (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Destination: New Orleans LA
- Flight plan: not recorded
- Runway 17, 3,000 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 210° at 5 knots
- Sky: clear
- 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.
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.