Cessna 182 accident near Savannah, Georgia, August 17, 2020
On August 17, 2020 at about 1:00 pm local time, a 1973 Cessna 182, registered N21488, was substantially damaged in an accident near Savannah, Georgia (Savannah Hilton Head Intl airport). It was an other work-use flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was conditions the NTSB did not record.
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's inadequate flare, resulting in a hard landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 17, 2020 · about 1:00 pm local time
- Place
- Savannah, Georgia · Savannah Hilton Head Intl · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- conditions the NTSB did not record
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182 P, built 1973 · all 182s on the register
- Registration
- N21488 · registry record · serial 18261664
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Other work-use flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was flying the airplane on a multi-leg cross-country flight, and during a preflight inspection prior to one of the legs the pilot observed wrinkled skin on the right-side fuselage near the engine firewall. A local mechanic believed it to be minor damage and the pilot continued to his destination. Upon arrival, another mechanic noted that the damage appeared to be more serious and a ferry permit was requested. The damage was determined to be substantial and the ferry permit was denied by local Federal Aviation Administration personnel. Although the pilot stated that the damage appeared to be from a landing with the nose gear touching down first, he did not recall any unusual or hard landings during the previous cross-country flight legs. He also stated that he was the only pilot to recently fly the airplane and the damage most likely occurred during his control. The damage likely occurred during a hard landing; however, the time and location of the accident could not be determined based on the available information. The pilot reported no mechanical malfunctions or anomalies during the cross-country flights.
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
- 551092 during descent - normal
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Landing flare › Not attained/maintained
Pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land, single-engine land, none, APLN, helicopter, none
- Flight time: 5,124 hours in all; 36 in this make and model; 84 in the last 90 days; 67 in the last 30 days; 3,525 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: class 2
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: type not recorded, February 9, 2020; 182 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,348 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-550-D-AP (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: F3Ea Inc.
- Operating certificate: in the vicinity
The flight
- Departed from: MLU Monroe LA at 12:00 pm
- Destination: SAV Savannah GA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 01, 7,002 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: nr
- Wind: from 070° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 2,000 ft
- Temperature: 81°C, dew point 72°C
- Altimeter: 30 inHg
- Observation at 12:53 pm from KSAV
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flig | 1 |
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 docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site 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 ERA20CA301.