Cessna 182G accident near Muskogee, Oklahoma, December 21, 1994
On December 21, 1994, a Cessna 182G, registered N3229S, was destroyed in an accident near Muskogee, Oklahoma (Davis Field). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 3 people were killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
FAILURE OF THE PILOT TO MAINTAIN CONTROL OF THE AIRPLANE DUE TO SPATIAL DISORIENTATION AFTER INADVERTENTLY FLYING INTO ADVERSE WEATHER. FACTORS RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WERE: DARKNESS, THE LOW CEILING, THE PILOT'S INADEQUATE EVALUATION OF THE WEATHER, AND HIS 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
- December 21, 1994
- Place
- Muskogee, Oklahoma · Davis Field · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 3 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182G · all 182Gs on the register
- Registration
- N3229S · no longer on the register · serial 18255729
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
ACCORDING TO WITNESSES, THE NON-INSTRUMENT RATED PRIVATE PILOT TOOK OFF ON RUNWAY 13 AND FLEW INTO A 200 FOOT OVERCAST A FEW SECONDS AFTER TAKEOFF. DARK NIGHT INSTRUMENT METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED THROUGHOUT THE AREA AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT. THE 212 HOUR PILOT HAD ACCUMULATED A TOTAL OF 3.7 HOURS OF SIMULATED INSTRUMENT TIME. THERE WAS NO RECORD THAT HE HAD RECEIVED A WEATHER BRIEFING BEFORE THE FLIGHT. WRECKAGE OF THE AIRPLANE WAS LOCATED ABOUT 1/2 MILE SOUTHEAST OF THE DEPARTURE RUNWAY. IMPACT WAS ON A HEADING OF ABOUT 300 DEGREES AND THE WRECKAGE WAS DISTRIBUTED OVER AN AREA ABOUT 350 FEET LONG. NO PREIMPACT MECHANICAL OR STRUCTURAL MALFUNCTION WAS DISCOVERED.
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: 212 hours in all; 7 in the last 90 days; 2 in the last 30 days; 177 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,508 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 10, 1993
- Maximum gross weight: 2,800 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-R (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: MKO
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 13, 7,200 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 200 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 46°F (8°C), dew point 45°F (7°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
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.