Cessna 182P accident near Santee, South Carolina, November 16, 1998
On November 16, 1998 at about 5:33 pm local time, a Cessna 182P, registered N6522M, was destroyed in an accident near Santee, South 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 pilot continued VFR flight into IMC conditions and lost control of the airplane due to spatial disorientation. Factors were foggy weather conditions and self-induced stress.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 16, 1998 · about 5:33 pm local time
- Place
- Santee, South Carolina · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182P · all 182Ps on the register
- Registration
- N6522M · no longer on the register · serial 18263738
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
According to an Automated Flight Service Station, the pilot of N6522M called and requested weather for a VFR flight from Hilton Head, South Carolina, to Charleston, West Virginia, at 0748 EST. The pilot was given a standard weather briefing with VFR not recommended. The pilot decided to call back and check later. At 1017, the pilot called back to check the weather conditions. He again was given a standard briefing and was told VFR not recommended. At 1134, the pilot of N6522M, called and wanted another update on the weather from Hilton Head, and Charleston, West Virginia. The weather had not improved and he was advised that conditions were still below VFR minimums, and he would probably not be able to make the flight in any direction. The pilot departed Hilton Head, South Carolina about 1150 and was handed off from Beaufort Approach Control to the Charleston Approach Control at 1210. According to ground witnesses, it was foggy and they could hear but not see the airplane and believed it was circling around the lake 'very low'. A short time later a witness was moving his boat to a different fishing spot, when he ran across debris floating in the lake.
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: 35 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,774 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 23, 1998; 260 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,950 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470S (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: HXD Hilton Head SC at 4:54 pm
- Destination: CRW Charleston WV
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 210° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 2 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 300 ft; ovct at 300 ft
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 64°F (18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:16 pm from OGB, 20 miles away
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.