Cessna 182H accident near Terre Haute, Indiana, November 17, 1984
On November 17, 1984 at about 1:30 am local time, a Cessna 182H, registered N8530S, was substantially damaged in an accident near Terre Haute, Indiana (Sky King airport). It was a business 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
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 17, 1984 · about 1:30 am local time
- Place
- Terre Haute, Indiana · Sky King
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182H · all 182Hs on the register
- Registration
- N8530S · no longer on the register · serial 18256630
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
PLT STATED HE WAS UNABLE TO ACTIVATE THE RUNWAY LIGHTS BY RADIO SO VISUAL CUES OF ARPT BLDGS WERE USED TO LINE UP WITH RUNWAY. ACFT LNDG/TAXI LIGHT WAS INOPERATIVE. PLT DID NOT REALIZE HE HAD UNDERSHOT THE APPROACH TURN AND WAS, IN FACT, LINED UP TO THE LEFT OF THE RUNWAY UNTIL JUST BEFORE TOUCHDOWN. ACFT TOUCHED DOWN IN SOFT TERRAIN AND NOSED OVER.
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
- Flight time: 797 hours in all; 577 in this make and model; 69 in the last 90 days; 731 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,686 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 9, 1984
- Maximum gross weight: 2,800 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-R (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: ALN Alton IL
- Destination: 3I3 Terre Haute IN
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 8, 3,200 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, bright
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Observation at 8:30 pm
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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.