Cessna TR182 accident near Crane, Texas, October 27, 1989
On October 27, 1989 at about 7:38 pm local time, a Cessna TR182, registered N756WH, was destroyed in an accident near Crane, Texas. It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE PILOT'S INADVERTENT FLIGHT INTO INSTRUMENT METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS (IMC), AND HIS LOSS OF AIRCRAFT CONTROL, DUE TO SPATIAL DISORIENTATION. FACTORS RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WERE: THE ADVERSE WEATHER CONDITIONS, AND THE PILOT'S LACK OF INSTRUMENT EXPERIENCE.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 27, 1989 · about 7:38 pm local time
- Place
- Crane, Texas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna TR182 · all TR182s on the register
- Registration
- N756WH · no longer on the register · serial R18201178
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE NON-INSTRUMENT RATED PLT WAS ON A VFR X-COUNTRY FLT. HE RCVD AN INFLT WX BRIEFING & WAS ADZD OF A CONVECTIVE SIGMET (25C) CONCERNING IMBEDDED THUNDERSTORMS. THE CONTROLLER ALSO PROVIDED THE CURRENT WX FOR MIDLAND & FARMINGTON, AND SUGGESTED A ROUTING AROUND THE AREA OF THUNDERSTORMS. THE PLT SAID HE DID NOT HAVE A MAP & ASKED FOR THE CALL LETTERS FOR FARMINGTON. WHEN THE ACFT DID NOT ARRIVE, A SEARCH WAS INITIATED. RADAR DATA SHOWED THAT AN ACFT IN THE AREA HAD MADE A SPIRALING DIVE FROM 11,800 FT BEFORE RADAR CONTACT WAS LOST. AN EXAM OF THE CRASH SITE REVEALED THE ACFT HAD CRASHED IN A NOSE DOWN, RIGHT WING LOW ATTITUDE. NO PREIMPACT PART FAILURE OR MALFUNCTION OF THE ACFT WAS FOUND. ACCORDING TO WITNESS INFO, THE SKY CONDITION IN THE ACDNT AREA WAS OBSCURED.
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: 2,036 hours in all; 31 in this make and model; 10 in the last 90 days; 10 in the last 30 days; 2,036 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,309 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 6, 1988; 155 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,100 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming O-540-L3C5D (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: P.C. Transport INC.
The flight
- Departed from: ALI Alice TX at 5:30 pm
- Destination: E41 Big Lake TX
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Sky: not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.