Cessna 182 accident near Zephyrhills, Florida, July 18, 2024
On July 18, 2024 at about 10:35 pm local time, a 1959 Cessna 182, registered N8523T, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute near Zephyrhills, Florida (Zephyrhills Muni airport). 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).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The loss of engine power due to the formation of carburetor ice as a result of the pilot’s delayed application of carburetor heat.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 18, 2024 · about 10:35 pm local time
- Place
- Zephyrhills, Florida · Zephyrhills Muni · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182 C, built 1959 · all 182s on the register
- Registration
- N8523T · registry record · serial 52423
- 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 while in cruise flight, the airplane’s engine started to run rough. He applied carburetor heat, and the engine operation smoothed out. Less than a minute later, the roughness returned, and the engine lost all power. Unable to maintain altitude, the pilot attempted to land in a nearby field. The airplane collided with a fence during the descent and came to rest in a field with rough ground. The airplane sustained substantial damage to both wing assemblies. A postaccident examination and engine test run revealed no mechanical anomalies. Weather conditions near the accident site were conducive to carburetor icing at glide and cruise power settings. Although the pilot applied carburetor heat following the engine roughness, it is likely that the ice accumulated to the degree that the carburetor heat was insufficient to maintain full 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
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during emergency descent
- Fuel related during enroute defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Temp/humidity/pressure › Conducive to carburetor icing › Effect on equipment
- Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Delayed action › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot, private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,206 hours in all; 1,018 in this make and model; 54 in the last 90 days; 16 in the last 30 days; 1,147 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: May 25, 2024
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,751 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 19, 2023; 497 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,650 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-L (piston); 4,751 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: VDF Tampa FL at 8:38 pm
- Destination: ZPH Zephyrhills FL
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 6,000 ft
- Temperature: 90°F (32°C), dew point 77°F (25°C)
- Altimeter: 30.01 inHg
- Observation at 6:35 pm from KZPH, 3 miles away
Weather report (METAR): METAR KZPH 182235Z AUTO 00000KT 10SM SCT060 SCT100 32/25 A3001 RMK A02 LTG DSNT N S AND SW T03160250=
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
5 documents, released by the NTSB on April 1, 2025. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 11 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Engine Examination Summary | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Maintenance Record Excerpts | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 4 | Carburetor Icing Chart | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 5 | Investigation Photographs | PDF, 3 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
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 ERA24LA315.