Cessna Aircraft Co. 162 accident near Memphis, Tennessee, May 31, 2022
On May 31, 2022 at about 1:35 pm local time, a 2010 Cessna Aircraft Co. 162, registered N162KG, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute near Memphis, Tennessee (General Dewitt Spain airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
Pilot incapacitation due to an acute cardiac event.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 31, 2022 · about 1:35 pm local time
- Place
- Memphis, Tennessee · General Dewitt Spain · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna Aircraft Co. 162, built 2010
- Registration
- N162KG · registry record · serial 16200011
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
After takeoff, the pilot maneuvered the airplane in the local area for about 30 minutes. He then contacted approach control and informed the controller that he was experiencing chest pains. The airplane became established on a course to return to the departure airport. However, a few minutes later, the flight track abruptly turned away from the airport. The airplane entered a descent and impacted a soybean field. The fuselage, right wing, and vertical stabilizer were damaged during impact. Postaccident airframe and engine examinations did not reveal any preimpact anomalies. The pilot had a history of coronary artery disease, including a previous heart attack, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol. Records demonstrated that he was intermittently non-compliant with his medication regimen. Considering the evidence about the pilot’s underlying severe coronary artery disease, his non-compliance with his medical regimen, likely continued use of tobacco, and reported chest pain to air traffic control, it is likely the pilot experienced an in-flight acute cardiac event, most likely cardiac ischemia, that caused the accident. The investigation could not determine if effects from his use of the sedating antihistamine diphenhydramine contributed to the accident.
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
- Medical event during enroute defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during enroute
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Physical › Impairment/incapacitation › Cardiovascular › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 8,675 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,599 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, March 31, 2022; 3 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,320 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200-D (piston); 1,599 hours total
- Operator: Jay Air LLC
The flight
- Departed from: M01 Memphis TN at 12:32 pm
- Destination: M01 Memphis TN
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 200° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 70°F (21°C)
- Altimeter: 30.02 inHg
- Observation at 8:53 am from AWM, 7 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.
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 CEN22FA217.