Cessna 182P accident near Hondo, Texas, May 27, 2001
On May 27, 2001 at about 4:40 pm local time, a Cessna 182P, registered N9875E, was substantially damaged in an accident near Hondo, Texas (Hondo Municipal airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot's inadequate preflight of the airplane, which resulted in a loss of engine power in cruise flight due to water in the fuel. A contributing factor was the soft terrain encountered during the forced landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 27, 2001 · about 4:40 pm local time
- Place
- Hondo, Texas · Hondo Municipal · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182P · all 182Ps on the register
- Registration
- N9875E · no longer on the register · serial 18263936
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The engine power dropped to 900 rpm during cruise flight at 2,500 feet msl. During the off airport landing, the nose landing gear dug into the soft terrain, and the airplane came to rest in the inverted position. Water and debris were found mixed with the fuel drained from the gascolator. The pilot reported that he found no water in the fuel during the preflight, and no discrepancies with the aircraft during the pre-takeoff run up of the engine. A fuel sample from the fueling truck was not contaminated.
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
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 369 hours in all; 67 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (expired)
- Seat: left
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,511 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 1, 2001; 4 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,950 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-S (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: HDO Hondo TX at 4:20 pm
- Destination: 5R5 Wharton TX
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 17, 6,024 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 160° at 120 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 66°F (19°C)
- Altimeter: 29.89 inHg
- Observation at 3:51 pm from HDO, 4 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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.
Other NTSB records under N9875E the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.