Cessna 182P accident near Lowell, Arkansas, May 22, 2005
On May 22, 2005 at about 3:00 pm local time, a Cessna 182P, registered N9425M, was substantially damaged in an accident near Lowell, Arkansas (Circle S Farms Airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The instructor's inadequate supervision and the second pilot's inadequate planning/decision to assure adequate takeoff performance to clear obstacles. Contributing factors were the prevailing quartering tailwind, the pilots selection of the wrong runway, and a high density altitude.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 22, 2005 · about 3:00 pm local time
- Place
- Lowell, Arkansas · Circle S Farms Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182P · all 182Ps on the register
- Registration
- N9425M · registry record · serial 18264750
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The 56.9-hour private pilot who was receiving instruction from a certified flight instructor lost control of the airplane during takeoff/initial climb and flew into the tops of several trees before impacting water 300 feet beyond the departure end of the runway. Examination of the airplane revealed that the flaps were up. There was also a quartering left tailwind of 9 knots, with a density altitude of 2,376 feet. The length of the private grass airstrip was 1,971 feet long. Using assumptions for accident conditions, the airplane manufacturer calculated a required takeoff roll of 1,910 feet to clear a 50-foot obstacle.
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
Flight instructor
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 4,500 hours in all; 100 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rear
- Injury: serious injuries
Dual student
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 56 hours in all; 3 in this make and model; 32 in the last 90 days; 16 in the last 30 days; 24 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,537 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 1, 2004; 122 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,900 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-S (1) (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Rutledge Air LLC
The flight
- Departed from: AR91 Lowell AR at 3:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 36, 1,700 ft by 50 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 230° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 57°F (14°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | 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.