Cessna 182Q accident near Ft. Payne, Alabama, August 12, 1992
On August 12, 1992 at about 6:00 pm local time, a Cessna 182Q, registered N4852N, was substantially damaged in an accident near Ft. Payne, Alabama (Goza 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 PILOT'S IMPROPER PROCEDURE, IN THAT HE FAILED TO RAISE THE FLAPS FOLLOWING THE SHORT FIELD LANDING, AS PRESCRIBED IN THE PILOT'S INFORMATION MANUAL, WHICH RESULTED IN A LOSS OF DIRECTIONAL CONTROL. FACTORS WERE THE TALL GRASS ADJACENT TO THE RUNWAY, THE PILOT'S IMPROPER USE OF THE ELEVATOR, AND THE WET SOD RUNWAY.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 12, 1992 · about 6:00 pm local time
- Place
- Ft. Payne, Alabama · Goza · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182Q · all 182Qs on the register
- Registration
- N4852N · no longer on the register · serial 182267419
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE AIRPLANE WAS BEING LANDED AT A PRIVATE, SOD AIRSTRIP WITH A NARROW RUNWAY. IT WAS RAINING & THE RUNWAY WAS WET. AN OBSTACLE, SHORT FIELD APPROACH WAS MADE TO THE 3000 FOOT LONG RUNWAY, AT 70 KTS, WITH THE FLAPS FULLY DEPLOYED. ON TOUCHDOWN THE FLAPS WERE NOT RETRACTED, AS LISTED IN THE PILOT'S INFORMATION MANUAL, & THE YOKE WAS HELD IN THE FULL AFT POSITION. THE AIRPLANE WAS LANDED SLIGHTLY LEFT OF CENTERLINE ON THE CROWNED RUNWAY, & A LEFT DRIFT DEVELOPED. ATTEMPTS TO RETURN TO THE RUNWAY CENTERLINE WERE UNSUCCESSFUL. THE AIRPLANE DRIFTED INTO TALL GRASS & A DITCH ADJACENT TO THE RUNWAY. IT THEN, NOSED OVER INVERTED.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 8,000 hours in all; 200 in this make and model; 8 in the last 90 days; 6 in the last 30 days; 4,000 as pilot in command; 4,000 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,268 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 30, 1991; 34 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,950 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-U (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MQI Manteo NC at 1:50 pm
- Destination: NONE
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 31, 3,000 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 190° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 6 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 13,000 ft; scat at 2,000 ft
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 72°F (22°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:50 pm from CHA, 40 miles away
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.
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.