Cessna 182Q accident near Nahunta, Georgia, June 26, 2025
On June 26, 2025 at about 1:30 pm local time, a 1980 Cessna 182Q, registered N4953N, was substantially damaged in an accident during standing (engine(s) start-up) near Nahunta, Georgia (Brantley County 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 NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 26, 2025 · about 1:30 pm local time
- Place
- Nahunta, Georgia · Brantley County · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182Q, built 1980 · all 182Qs on the register
- Registration
- N4953N · no longer on the register · serial 18267478
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative preliminary · quoted from the NTSB record
On June 26, 2025, at about 09:30 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 182Q, N4953N, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Nahunta, Georgia. The private pilot was uninjured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. According to the pilot, the airplane had just undergone extensive maintenance in Sylacauga, Alabama, and he was planning to take the airplane to the W H 'Bud' Barron Airport (DBN), Dublin, Georgia. The pilot stopped at the Brantley County Airport (4J1), Nahunta, Georgia, on June 24, 2025, and the airplane remained parked until the day of the accident. The pilot reported that he performed a preflight inspection followed by a normal start of the engine. He allowed the engine to warm up and performed a magneto drop and propeller governor check. Shortly thereafter, a fire suddenly came up from the floor around the rudder pedals. The pilot exited the airplane and unsuccessfully attempted to extinguish the fire with a handheld fire extinguisher. The fire consumed most of the fuselage and the right wing, and the left wing was thermally damaged at the wing root. The wreckage was retained for further examination.
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
- Fire/smoke (non-impact) during standing (engine(s) start-up) defining event
The aircraft
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Destination: DBN Dublin GA
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 72°F (22°C)
- Altimeter: 30.13 inHg
- Observation at 9:30 am from JES, 21 miles away
Weather report (METAR): KJES 261330Z AUTO 00000KT 10SM CLR 28/22 A3013 RMK AO2
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The NTSB has not released the docket for this case yet. The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), is usually released when the investigation is nearly complete, and the list here is refreshed when it appears. Check at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.