Cessna 182L accident near Ft. Mcclellan, Alabama, October 3, 1994
On October 3, 1994 at about 8:10 pm local time, a Cessna 182L, registered N3499R, was destroyed in an accident near Ft. Mcclellan, Alabama. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE PILOT'S CONTINUED VFR FLIGHT INTO IMC CONDITIONS, AND HIS FAILURE TO MAINTAIN A PROPER ALTITUDE OVER MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN. FACTORS WERE THE LOW CEILING, FOG, AND DRIZZLE WEATHER CONDITIONS, AND THE MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN AT THE ACCIDENT SITE.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 3, 1994 · about 8:10 pm local time
- Place
- Ft. Mcclellan, Alabama · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182L · all 182Ls on the register
- Registration
- N3499R · no longer on the register · serial 18258799
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE COMMERCIAL PILOT AND HIS PASSENGER WERE FLYING VFR FROM CAIRO, IL. TO LAGRANGE, GA. WHILE RECEIVING VECTORS AROUND RESTRICTED AIRSPACE IN THE HUNTSVILLE, AL. AREA, THE PILOT REPORTED TO ATC THAT HE HAD BEEN 'IN AND OUT OF THE CLOUDS'. THE PILOT CONTINUED ON ROUTE, VFR, AFTER HUNTSVILLE TERMINATED RADAR SERVICE. THE WRECKAGE WAS FOUND ON THE SIDE OF STEEP, MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN. THERE WERE NO EYEWITNESSES LOCATED. WRECKAGE AND TREE DAMAGE WAS INDICATIVE OF A LEVEL FLIGHT, WINGS LEVEL COLLISION WITH TERRAIN. THE CLOSEST WEATHER OBSERVATION SITE WAS ANNISTON, AL. (612 FT MSL, 11 MILES SOUTHEAST OF THE ACCIDENT SITE). AT ABOUT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT, THEY REPORTED A CEILING OF 800 FEET BROKEN, 1,500 FEET BROKEN, 2,000 FEET OVERCAST, WITH 4 MILES VISIBILITY, IN LIGHT DRIZZLE AND FOG. THE ELEVATION OF THE ACCIDENT SITE WAS ABOUT 1,900 FEET MSL.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 4,000 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,029 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 1, 1994; 52 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,800 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-R (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
- Operator: Winterset Flying Club, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: CIR Cairo IL at 5:15 pm
- Destination: LGC Lagrange GA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 050° at 12 knots
- Visibility: 4 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 800 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 66°F (19°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:20 pm from ANB, 11 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.