Cessna 182 and Piper J3C mid-air collision near Burlington, North Carolina, December 16, 2017
On December 16, 2017 at about 5:30 pm local time, 2 aircraft, Cessna 182 (N199RN) and Piper J3C (N25786), were involved in a mid-air collision near Burlington, North Carolina (Burlington Alamance Regional airport). No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The other pilot's failure to maintain adequate clearance from the airplane before beginning an inverted flight maneuver, which resulted in a collision with the airplane when he rolled his airplane upright.
The pilot's failure to maintain adequate clearance from another airplane before beginning an inverted flight maneuver, which resulted in a collision with the airplane when he rolled his airplane upright.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 16, 2017 · about 5:30 pm local time
- Place
- Burlington, North Carolina · Burlington Alamance Regional · map
- Type
- Accident · mid-air collision
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft 1
- Cessna 182 Q, built 1977 · all 182s on the register
- Registration
- N199RN · registry record · serial 18266079
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
- Aircraft 2
- Piper J3C 65, built 1939 · all J3Cs on the register
- Registration
- N25786 · registry record · serial 3740
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative for the Cessna 182 final · quoted from the NTSB record
The commercial pilot of the Piper airplane reported that he had recently performed maintenance on the smoke generator. Before the flight, the Piper pilot coordinated with the pilot of a Cessna to fly adjacent to his airplane to verify whether the Piper's smoke system was operating. After departure, the Piper pilot flew on the right side of and parallel to the Cessna, and both pilots acknowledged each other visually. The Cessna pilot subsequently verified that the Piper's smoke system was operating normally with a "thumbs up" signal, and the Piper pilot then broke off to the right, and the Cessna pilot continued straight ahead. After clearing for traffic, the Piper pilot then performed a check of the oil system and mixture control, which required inverted flight. He rolled the airplane inverted, verified the system operation, and then rolled the airplane upright, at which point its right wing collided with the Cessna's left wing. The Cessna pilot saw the Piper strike his airplane while in a descent. The Piper pilot stated that he never saw the Cessna and thought he was experiencing a flight control problem after the collision. Both airplanes returned to the departure airport and landed without further incident. The Piper's right wing and aileron and the Cessna's left wing were structurally damaged. The Cessna pilot was flying straight ahead, and the Piper pilot was maneuvering; therefore, the Piper pilot was responsible for ensuring that the area was clear before initiating the inverted maneuver. Given the described geometry of the collision, the Piper pilot likely did not adequately clear for traffic before beginning the inverted flight maneuver, which he should have done, and failed to see the Cessna before impacting its left wing.
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 NTSB's narrative for the Piper J3C final · quoted from the NTSB record
The commercial pilot of the Piper airplane reported that he had recently performed maintenance on the smoke generator. Before the flight, the Piper pilot coordinated with the pilot of a Cessna to fly adjacent to his airplane to verify whether the Piper's smoke system was operating. After departure, the Piper pilot flew on the right side of and parallel to the Cessna, and both pilots acknowledged each other visually. The Cessna pilot subsequently verified that the Piper's smoke system was operating normally with a "thumbs up" signal, and the Piper pilot then broke off to the right, and the Cessna pilot continued straight ahead. After clearing for traffic, the Piper pilot then performed a check of the oil system and mixture control, which required inverted flight. He rolled the airplane inverted, verified the system operation, and then rolled the airplane upright, at which point its right wing collided with the Cessna's left wing. The Cessna pilot saw the Piper strike his airplane while in a descent. The Piper pilot stated that he never saw the Cessna and thought he was experiencing a flight control problem after the collision. Both airplanes returned to the departure airport and landed without further incident. The Piper's right wing and aileron and the Cessna's left wing were structurally damaged. The Cessna pilot was flying straight ahead, and the Piper pilot was maneuvering; therefore, the Piper pilot was responsible for ensuring that the area was clear before initiating the inverted maneuver. Given the described geometry of the collision, the Piper pilot likely did not adequately clear for traffic before beginning the inverted flight maneuver, which he should have done, and failed to see the Cessna before impacting its left wing.
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 for the Cessna 182 from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
What happened, in order
- Midair collision during enroute (cruise) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Psychological › Attention/monitoring › Monitoring other aircraft › Pilot of other aircraft
- cause Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Aircraft › Effect on operation
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 353 hours in all; 11 in this make and model; 20 in the last 90 days; 5 in the last 30 days; 353 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: June 26, 2016
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection
- Maximum gross weight: 2,348 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Cont Motor O-470 SERIES (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: BUY Burlington NC at 5:20 pm
- Destination: BUY Burlington NC
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 250° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 48°F (9°C), dew point 23°F (-5°C)
- Altimeter: 30.20 inHg
- Observation at 5:54 pm from BUY, 10 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
The factual record for the Piper J3C from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
What happened, in order
- Midair collision during maneuvering defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Psychological › Attention/monitoring › Monitoring other aircraft › Pilot
- cause Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Aircraft › Effect on operation
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,500 hours in all; 500 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rear
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,096 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, July 20, 2017; 45 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,320 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Cont Motor O-200 Exp (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: BUY Burlington NC at 5:20 pm
- Destination: BUY Burlington NC
- Flight plan: none
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 ERA18LA055.