Cessna 182 accident near Gladewater, Texas, June 29, 2001
On June 29, 2001 at about 9:00 pm local time, a Cessna 182, registered N8641T, was substantially damaged in an accident near Gladewater, Texas. 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 instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot's inadvertent visual flight into instrument meteorological conditions while maneuvering, which resulted in her spatial disorientation and subsequent loss of control of the airplane.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 29, 2001 · about 9:00 pm local time
- Place
- Gladewater, Texas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182 · all 182s on the register
- Registration
- N8641T · no longer on the register · serial 52541
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The non-instrument rated private pilot was practicing maneuvers with broken cloud conditions. She allowed the airplane to ascend into a "hazy area and noticed clouds were beginning to close around me." She added that she flew the airplane toward a "hole to descend through the clouds. [The] haze increased and [she] continued towards the opening but wound up in a cloud." She stated that she immediately experienced "vertigo and got into [an] unusual attitude." During the unusual attitude recovery, the front windshield and right rear windshield separated from the airplane. The pilot then made an uneventful landing. Examination of the airplane revealed structural damage to the wings, wing struts, and horizontal stabilizer.
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: 380 hours in all; 300 in this make and model; 55 in the last 90 days; 27 in the last 30 days; 320 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: February 1, 2000
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,275.5 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 27, 2001; 30 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,650 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-470-R (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 07F Gladewater TX at 8:20 pm
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 6,500 ft
- Temperature: 90°F (32°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.
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.