Cessna 182 incident near Fort Worth, Texas, December 12, 2008
On December 12, 2008 at about 3:15 pm local time, a Cessna 182, registered N5495B, suffered minor damage in an incident during taxi near Fort Worth, Texas (Meacham International 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
Collision with a hidden obstruction while taxiing through a grass field following a forced landing. Contributing to the accident was a loss of engine power due to the pilot's failure to turn on the carburetor heat.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 12, 2008 · about 3:15 pm local time
- Place
- Fort Worth, Texas · Meacham International Airport · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182 · all 182s on the register
- Registration
- N5495B · registry record · serial 33495
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Following a cross-country flight, the private pilot was turning in the traffic pattern when the engine suddenly stopped producing power. He made a successful forced landing in a field. During the forced landing the pilot turned on the carburetor heat. Shortly after landing the engine began producing power again and the pilot started taxiing slowly. While moving forward at approximately two miles per hour the nose gear struck a soft spot in the terrain and the airplane nosed over, damaging the right wingtip. Weather conditions were conducive to moderate carburetor icing at cruise power and serious carburetor icing at glide power.
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
- Loss of engine power (partial) during approach (VFR pattern base)
- Off-field or emergency landing during emergency descent
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during taxi defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Aircraft › Aircraft power plant › (general) › (general) › Failure
- cause Environmental issues › Physical environment › Runway/land/takeoff/taxi surfa › Soft › Effect on equipment
- factor Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Use of equip/system › Pilot
- factor Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Temp/humidity/pressure › Conducive to carburetor icing › Effect on equipment
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 353 hours in all; 2 in this make and model; 11 in the last 90 days; 8 in the last 30 days; 227 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: April 3, 2007
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,581 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 1, 2008
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Cont Motor O-470 SERIES (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: LJV Pearland TX at 1:50 pm
- Destination: FTW Fort Worth TX
- Flight plan: not recorded
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Temperature: 39°F (4°C), dew point 30°F (-1°C)
- Observation at 2:53 pm from FTW, 2 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.