Cessna 182T accident near Burlington, North Carolina, December 17, 2013
On December 17, 2013 at about 2:15 am local time, a 2007 Cessna 182T, registered N963CP, was substantially damaged in an accident during takeoff near Burlington, North Carolina (Burlington-Alamance Regional airport). It was a personal 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).
Preview. This page is not yet listed for search engines.
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
A loss of airplane control during takeoff for reasons that could not be determined due to the postaccident condition of the elevator control system.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 17, 2013 · about 2:15 am local time
- Place
- Burlington, North Carolina · Burlington-Alamance Regional · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182T, built 2007 · all 182Ts on the register
- Registration
- N963CP · registry record · serial 18281973
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that he was practicing night takeoffs and landings. He completed two takeoffs and landings without incident; however, during the third takeoff, as the airplane was climbing to between about 10 and 20 ft above ground level, it stopped climbing, and the pilot felt increased resistance on the elevator control. The airplane did not respond to elevator control inputs, and it subsequently pitched nose down and descended. The airplane touched down before departing the left side of the runway. The nose gear collapsed, and the airplane sustained substantial damage to the firewall and nose section. The pilot reported that the airplane had a recent history of elevator trim issues, which included difficulty controlling the elevator. The elevator trim jackscrew had been removed, inspected, and reinstalled about 1 week before the accident, and the airplane had since been operated about 7 hours. Examination of the airplane, including the elevator control system, did not reveal any preimpact mechanical malfunctions that would have precluded normal operation; however, impact damage precluded the ability to conduct a complete functional check of the elevator control system.
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
- Unknown or undetermined during takeoff
- Loss of control in flight during takeoff defining event
- Off-field or emergency landing during emergency descent
- Runway excursion during landing (landing roll)
- Landing area undershoot during landing (landing roll)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Pitch control › Attain/maintain not possible
- cause Not determined › Not determined › (general) › (general) › Unknown/Not determined
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 165 hours in all; 23 in this make and model; 9 in the last 90 days; 2 in the last 30 days; 81 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: December 15, 2013
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,703 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 29, 2013; 69 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,100 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540-AB1A5 (piston); 1,702 hours total
- Operator: Civil Air Patrol
The flight
- Departed from: BUY Burlington NC at 2:15 am
- Destination: BUY Burlington NC
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 06, 6,405 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 41°F (5°C), dew point 34°F (1°C)
- Altimeter: 30.10 inHg
- Observation at 2:54 am from BUY
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight 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.
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 ERA14LA072.