Cessna 182 accident near Toone, Tennessee, October 9, 2016
On October 9, 2016 at about 3:50 pm local time, a 2004 Cessna 182, registered N65903, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute (cruise) near Toone, Tennessee. 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).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
A stuck No. 3 cylinder exhaust valve, which resulted in failure of the cylinder's valvetrain components, breach of the cylinder's rocker box cover, and partial loss of engine power due to oil starvation.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 9, 2016 · about 3:50 pm local time
- Place
- Toone, Tennessee · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182 T, built 2004 · all 182s on the register
- Registration
- N65903 · registry record · serial 18281501
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The private pilot reported that, about 3 hours into a cross-country flight, an instrument panel warning sounded and the oil pressure indicator was in the red arc; however, the engine continued to run smoothly. The pilot began to look for airports or fields to divert to and notified air traffic control of the abnormal engine indication. A few minutes later, the pilot heard "clanging" noises from the engine and it subsequently lost partial power. The engine was not producing enough power for the airplane to fly to the destination airport, and the pilot performed a forced landing in a field. During the forced landing, the airplane sustained substantial damage. Examination of the engine revealed that the No. 3 cylinder exhaust valve had stuck in the closed position, which resulted in failure of the cylinder's valvetrain components, breach of the rocker box cover, and the engine's oil supply being exhausted through the breached rocker box cover. The resulting oil starvation subsequently resulted in a partial loss of engine power.
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 engine power (partial) during enroute (cruise) defining event
- Off-field or emergency landing during emergency descent
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft power plant › Engine (reciprocating) › Recip eng cyl section › Failure
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft power plant › Engine (reciprocating) › (general) › Damaged/degraded
- cause Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware › Fluids › Oil › Fluid level
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 369 hours in all; 236 in this make and model; 73 in the last 90 days; 26 in the last 30 days; 251 as pilot in command; 0 on instruments
- Last flight review: August 29, 2016
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,268 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 12, 2016; 80 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,110 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540-AB1A5 (piston); 2,268 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: DTS Destin FL at 12:30 pm
- Destination: MKL Jackson TN
- Flight plan: IFR
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 050° at 14 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 39°F (4°C)
- Altimeter: 30.36 inHg
- Observation at 3:53 pm from MKL, 16 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.
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 ERA17LA019.