Cessna 182B accident near Lufkin, Texas, June 26, 1983
On June 26, 1983 at about 6:35 pm local time, a Cessna 182B, registered N2550G, was substantially damaged in an accident near Lufkin, Texas. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were 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, 1983 · about 6:35 pm local time
- Place
- Lufkin, Texas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182B · all 182Bs on the register
- Registration
- N2550G · no longer on the register · serial 51850
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WHILE EN ROUTE, THE ENG BEGAN SURGING. ALL INSTRUMENTS HAD NORMAL INDICATIONS, EXCEPT THE MANIFOLD PRESSURE & TACHOMETER WERE VARYING AS THE ENG SURGED. THE ACFT BEGAN LOSING ALT, SO THE PLT ELECTED TO LAND ON A HIGHWAY. HE LANDED IN FRONT OF SEVERAL CARS, BUT WAS UNABLE TO STOP BEFORE CLOSING ON ANOTHER VEHICLE THAT HAD SLOWED DOWN AHEAD. HE TURNED OFF THE HIGHWAY TO AVOID THE VEHICLE & WENT THRU A DITCH & HIT A CHAIN LINK FENCE. WATER WAS FOUND IN THE FUEL SYS. AN EXAM OF THE FUEL TANKS REVEALED THERE WERE RIDGES IN THE BOTTOM OF THE TANKS. THE FUEL CELLS WERE REMOVED & EVIDENCE WAS FOUND THAT THE RIDGES WERE ABOUT 1/8 INCH IN HEIGHT. THE FUEL CELL BLADDERS WERE ORIGINALLY INSTALLED AT THE TIME THE ACFT WAS MANUFACTURED IN 1959.
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: 695 hours in all; 695 in this make and model; 572 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,395 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, August 1, 1982
- Maximum gross weight: 2,650 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-L (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: CXO Conroe TX
- Destination: OCH Nacogdoches TX
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 150° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 2,500 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 73°F (23°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.