Cessna 182Q accident near Houma, Louisiana, September 24, 2009
On September 24, 2009 at about 11:08 am local time, a Cessna 182Q, registered N96894, was destroyed in an accident during initial climb near Houma, Louisiana (Houma Terrebonne Airport). It was an aerial observation 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’s decision to take off into instrument meteorological conditions.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 24, 2009 · about 11:08 am local time
- Place
- Houma, Louisiana · Houma Terrebonne Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182Q · all 182Qs on the register
- Registration
- N96894 · no longer on the register · serial 18266891
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Aerial observation flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The non-instrument rated commercial pilot requested and received a Special visual flight rules (SVFR) clearance to take off. Weather was below VFR minimums with a reported ceiling of 300 feet and seven miles visibility, and witnesses reported fog in the area. The pilot’s last radio transmission occurred at 0605 and the wreckage was located one mile south of the runway at 1225. No evidence of an airplane malfunction was found during postaccident wreckage examination and airplane wreckage and impact scars were indicative of a loss of airplane control prior to impact. The airplane was not equipped to fly in instrument meteorological conditions (IMC). The pilot's lack of instrument flight certification combined with the poor weather conditions were conducive to spatial disorientation. Toxicology results were positive for ethanol. Postaccident conditions were conducive to post-mortem ethanol production in the pilot.
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
- VFR encounter with IMC during initial climb defining event
- Loss of visual reference during initial climb
- Aerodynamic stall/spin during initial climb
The NTSB's findings
- cause Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Ceiling/visibility/precip › Below VFR minima › Decision related to condition
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; single-engine sea
- Flight time: 19,949 hours in all; 11,000 in this make and model
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 25,876 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, September 9, 2009; 115 hours since
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Cont Motor O-470 SERIES (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: HUM Houma LA
- Destination: HUM Houma LA
- Flight plan: not recorded
- Runway 18, 6,508 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 030° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 300 ft; ovct at 300 ft
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 77°F (25°C)
- Altimeter: 30.02 inHg
- Observation at 10:53 am from HUM, 2 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight 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.