Cessna 182 accident near Lebanon, Ohio, August 31, 2025
On August 31, 2025 at about 2:45 pm local time, a 1998 Cessna 182, registered N628FN, was substantially damaged in an accident during takeoff near Lebanon, Ohio (Warren County/John Lane Fld airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s failure to maintain directional control of the airplane during takeoff, which resulted in a runway excursion and collision with a sign.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 31, 2025 · about 2:45 pm local time
- Place
- Lebanon, Ohio · Warren County/John Lane Fld · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182 S, built 1998 · all 182s on the register
- Registration
- N628FN · registry record · serial 18280227
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was preparing to depart for a personal flight but had not correctly set the airplane’s flaps for takeoff. During the takeoff the pilot rotated the airplane, but it would not climb due to the incorrect flap setting and it remained in ground effect. The airplane drifted off the side of the runway in the prevailing crosswind and struck a taxiway sign with the left main landing gear and empennage, which resulted in substantial damage to the left horizontal stabilizer. The pilot subsequently landed the airplane in a field that was off to the side of the runway uneventfully.
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
- Runway excursion during takeoff defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during takeoff
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Directional control › Not attained/maintained
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: airship
- Flight time: 415.8 hours in all; 34.7 in this make and model; 2.6 in the last 90 days; 2.6 in the last 30 days; 306.3 as pilot in command; 0 on instruments
- Medical certificate: BasicMed (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Pilot-Rated Passenger
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; rotorcraft: airship
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
Pilot-Rated Passenger
- Certificate: private
- Seat: rear
- Injury: no injuries
Passenger
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,528.9 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 4, 2024
- Maximum gross weight: 3,100 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540 (piston); 1,762 hours total
The flight
- Destination: EYE Indianapolis IN
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 01, 4,505 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 110° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 66°F (19°C), dew point 46°F (8°C)
- Altimeter: 30.26 inHg
- Observation at 10:53 am from MGY, 8 miles away
Weather report (METAR): KMGY 311453Z AUTO 11007KT 10SM CLR 19/08 A3026 RMK AO2 SLP244 T01890083 51012
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
Photographs from the investigation 3 pictures from the NTSB's docket, as the NTSB released them
Photograph 1 – Left horizontal stabilizer accident damage
Photograph 2 – Left horizontal stabilizer accident damage
Photograph 3 – Left horizontal stabilizer accident damageThe NTSB's photographs with the NTSB's captions, at screen size. Open a picture to see it full size or to report one that should not be shown.
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
4 documents, released by the NTSB on December 4, 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 | Memorandum for Record A�� Pilot Statement | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Pilot's Weight and Balance Calculation | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 4 | Investigation Photographs | PDF, 4 pages · our copy | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
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.