Cessna R182 accident near Dougherty, Texas, June 19, 2009
On June 19, 2009 at about 2:38 am local time, a Cessna R182, registered N182GT, was destroyed in an accident during enroute (cruise) near Dougherty, Texas. 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 improper decision to continue flight into known adverse weather conditions resulting in his inability to maintain aircraft control after penetrating the thunderstorm gust front. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s lack of preflight planning, failure to obtain a weather briefing, and the severe to extreme turbulence, blowing dust which produced brownout conditions associated with thunderstorm activity.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 19, 2009 · about 2:38 am local time
- Place
- Dougherty, Texas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna R182 · all R182s on the register
- Registration
- N182GT · no longer on the register · serial R18201504
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Radar data provided for the last portion of the accident flight depicted the airplane changing heading and altitude on several occasions. The airplane impacted an open field in a nose low attitude and was fragmented on impact. An examination of the airframe, engine, and airplane systems revealed no pre-impact anomalies. Weather information for the time of the accident depicted an area of light precipitation, consistent with the outflow boundary from a thunderstorm in the immediate vicinity of the accident location, at the time of the accident. Convective SIGMETS, METAR observations, and witness reports illustrated thunderstorm activity, brownout conditions, a dust storm, and the possibility of severe to extreme turbulence at the time of the accident. There was no record that the pilot had obtained a formal weather briefing from a recorded source. The pilot’s flight logbook was located within the wreckage. A review of the logbook indicated that the pilot had logged no less than 412 hours; 45.5 hours in the make and model of the accident airplane, 17.7 hours at night, and 4.6 hours in simulated instrument meteorological conditions.
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
What happened, in order
- Windshear or thunderstorm during enroute (cruise)
- Loss of control in flight during enroute (cruise) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- factor Personnel issues › Task performance › Planning/preparation › Weather planning › Pilot
- factor Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Convective weather › Thunderstorm › Effect on operation
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Pilot
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › (general) › Capability exceeded
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Turbulence › Convective turbulence › Effect on operation
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Convective weather › Thunderstorm › Decision related to condition
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 412 hours in all; 45 in this make and model; 53 in the last 90 days; 20 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: April 11, 2009
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: unk
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 21, 2008
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming O-540 SERIES (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: KAHX Houston TX
- Destination: KPVW Plainview TX
- Flight plan: none
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night
- Wind: from 270° at 19 knots, gusting 22
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 10,000 ft; scat at 1,100 ft
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 63°F (17°C)
- Altimeter: 29.94 inHg
- Observation at 3:45 am from PVW, 34 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight 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.