Cessna 182 accident near Odessa, Texas, July 16, 2018
On July 16, 2018 at about 7:30 pm local time, a 1980 Cessna 182, registered N182GQ, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near Odessa, Texas (Odessa-Schlemeyer Field). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
Preview. This page is not yet listed for search engines.
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
An on-ground fire for reasons that could not be determined based on the available information.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 16, 2018 · about 7:30 pm local time
- Place
- Odessa, Texas · Odessa-Schlemeyer Field · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182 Q, built 1980 · all 182s on the register
- Registration
- N182GQ · registry record · serial 18265848
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
After landing at the destination airport, the pilot smelled smoke, so he shut down the airplane, exited, and saw a fire in the vicinity of the baggage compartment. The fire consumed most of the fuselage and the inboard portion of both wings. The pilot recently had a lithium-ion battery installed in the emergency locator transmitter (ELT). However, the ELT and battery were examined and determined not to be the source of the fire. Investigators were not able to determine the origin of the fire due to the extent of fire damage.
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
- Fire/smoke (non-impact) during landing defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Not determined › Not determined › (general) › (general) › Unknown/Not determined
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Medical certificate: Unknown
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,240 hours
- Maximum gross weight: 2,348 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-U (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: Sugar Land TX at 5:00 pm
- Destination: ODO Odessa TX
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 34, 5,003 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 190° at 9 knots, gusting 17
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 7,000 ft
- Temperature: 93°F (34°C), dew point 54°F (12°C)
- Altimeter: 30.10 inHg
- Observation at 7:53 pm from KODO
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.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number CEN18LA272.