Cessna 182D accident near Rushville, Indiana, September 12, 2003
On September 12, 2003 at about 6:45 pm local time, a Cessna 182D, registered N8702X, was substantially damaged in an accident near Rushville, Indiana (Stevens airport). 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).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot failed to maintain control of the airplane during the initial takeoff climb which resulted in an inadvertent stall.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 12, 2003 · about 6:45 pm local time
- Place
- Rushville, Indiana · Stevens · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182D · all 182Ds on the register
- Registration
- N8702X · no longer on the register · serial 18253102
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane impacted the airstrip during an initial takeoff climb. The pilot reported that the windsock was indicating calm winds prior to his takeoff. He stated he used 2 notches of flaps and rotated at an airspeed of 58 to 60 knots. The pilot reported the airplane reached an altitude of about 10 feet when it started back down. The airplane impacted the terrain in what the pilot thinks was a nose down attitude. The airplane came to rest partially on the airstrip and partially in the bordering corn field.
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
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,000 hours in all; 900 in this make and model; 6 in the last 90 days; 2 in the last 30 days; 950 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: March 22, 2002
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,660 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 20, 2003; 10 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,650 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470R (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PVT Rushville IN
- Destination: PVT Rushville IN
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 36, 1,500 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 160° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 8 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 4,100 ft
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 64°F (18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:53 pm from GEZ, 18 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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.