Cessna 182P accident near Fordyce, Arkansas, April 27, 1996
On April 27, 1996 at about 2:45 pm local time, a Cessna 182P, registered N20737, was destroyed in an accident near Fordyce, Arkansas (H.L. Hopkins-Fordyce airport). 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 pilot's failure to initiate a timely go-around. A factor was the pilot's misjudgment of distance and speed during the approach.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 27, 1996 · about 2:45 pm local time
- Place
- Fordyce, Arkansas · H.L. Hopkins-Fordyce · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182P · all 182Ps on the register
- Registration
- N20737 · registry record · serial 18261167
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot said when he was on a 1/2-mile final approach, he realized he was too high and too fast and deployed full flaps. He flared and the airplane touched down, bounced, and touched down again. The pilot then elected to abort the landing. After lift off, the stall warning horn sounded and the pilot realized he would be unable to clear the trees ahead. He landed in a field, applied maximum braking, and collided with trees approximately 1,000 feet beyond the departure end of the runway.
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: 294 hours in all; 191 in this make and model; 70 in the last 90 days; 23 in the last 30 days; 242 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,324 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, April 18, 1996; 30 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,950 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-R (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: FYV Fayetteville AR at 1:15 pm
- Destination: 5M4
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 22, 3,200 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 100° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 66°F (19°C), dew point 45°F (7°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:50 pm from PBF, 21 miles away
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.