Cessna 182H accident near Cushing, Oklahoma, June 21, 2003
On June 21, 2003 at about 9:30 pm local time, a Cessna 182H, registered N8548S, was destroyed in an accident near Cushing, Oklahoma. It was a skydiving flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed, 2 people were seriously injured and 2 people had minor injuries; 1 other was unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain airspeed which resulted in an inadvertent stall/spin.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 21, 2003 · about 9:30 pm local time
- Place
- Cushing, Oklahoma · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed, 2 people were seriously injured and 2 people had minor injuries; 1 other was unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182H · all 182Hs on the register
- Registration
- N8548S · no longer on the register · serial 18256648
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Skydiving flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The 363-hour single-engine commercial rated pilot lost control of the airplane during a parachute activity flight. The airplane subsequently stalled and entered a spin to the left. A witness radioed the pilot and asked what was wrong, and the pilot replied that he was in a spin and didn't know what to do. The witness replied, flaps and power, and continued to watch both the airplane and the parachutists. At approximately 800 feet, the witness heard the engine go from a low power setting to a high power setting. The airplane impacted terrain in a wings level attitude. A post-accident examination of the engine revealed no anomalies.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 363 hours in all
- Last flight review: July 1, 2002
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, May 1, 2003
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-R (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: CUH Crushing OK at 9:00 pm
- Destination: CUH
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 190° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 3,500 ft
- Temperature: 91°F (33°C), dew point 79°F (26°C)
- Altimeter: 29.86 inHg
- Observation at 10:52 pm from CQB, 14 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 | 2 | 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.