Cessna 182 accident near Cassville, Missouri, August 10, 2008
On August 10, 2008 at about 7:00 pm local time, a Cessna 182, registered N214MT, was destroyed in an accident during maneuvering near Cassville, Missouri (Turkey Mountain Estates airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain control of the airplane after an inadvertent encounter with instrument meteorological conditions resulting in the subsequent impact with terrain. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's self-induced pressure to conduct the flight.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 10, 2008 · about 7:00 pm local time
- Place
- Cassville, Missouri · Turkey Mountain Estates · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182 T · all 182s on the register
- Registration
- N214MT · no longer on the register · serial 18281160
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Prior to the flight, the non-instrument rated private pilot had three contacts with the pre-flight weather briefer at the automated flight Service Station (AFSS) for a planned visual flight rules (VFR) return flight to his home. According to statements made to a friend, the pilot expected the weather conditions to quickly improve once he got approximately 30 miles from the departure airport. The pilot had told several persons that he intended to make an important business flight in that airplane to another location on the following day. After departure, the airplane encountered instrument meteorological conditions (IMC) in an area of rising terrain. A witness near the accident scene saw the airplane come out of the bottom of overcast clouds in a nose down dive. The airplane impacted terrain and was destroyed by a post-impact fire. No pre-crash anomalies were noted with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation.
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
- Loss of control in flight during maneuvering defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during uncontrolled descent
- Fire/smoke (post-impact) during post (impact)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Lack of action › Pilot
- factor Personnel issues › Psychological › Personality/attitude › Motivation/respond to pressure › Pilot
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Ceiling/visibility/precip › Low ceiling › Contributed to outcome
- Personnel issues › Experience/knowledge › Experience/qualifications › Qualification/certification › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 480 hours in all; 400 in this make and model
- Last flight review: February 22, 2007
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 416 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 12, 2007
- Maximum gross weight: 3,100 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO540 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: MO00 Shell Knob MO at 6:55 pm
- Destination: K84 Lee'S Summit MO
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 100° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 1 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 400 ft
- Temperature: 68°F (20°C), dew point 66°F (19°C)
- Altimeter: 29.95 inHg
- Observation at 6:50 pm from KROG, 27 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.
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.