Cessna 182B accident near Honobia, Oklahoma, January 17, 1999
On January 17, 1999 at about 4:35 am local time, a Cessna 182B, registered N8433T, was destroyed in an accident near Honobia, Oklahoma. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 4 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain aircraft control for an undetermined reason.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 17, 1999 · about 4:35 am local time
- Place
- Honobia, Oklahoma · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 4 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182B · all 182Bs on the register
- Registration
- N8433T · no longer on the register · serial 52333
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The non-instrument rated private pilot was receiving flight following during the dark night cross-country flight conducted in visual meteorological conditions. The pilot's last radio transmission was a routine radio check with air traffic control. Radar data shows that approximately 23 seconds after this radio call, the airplane entered a climb. The climb continued for 3-minutes 37-seconds at an average rate of 414 feet/minute. The airplane then began to descend and turn to the right. The last radar return placed the airplane approximately 0.6 nautical miles south of the accident site descending through 8,100 feet at a rate of 2,166 feet/minute. There were no witnesses to the accident. The wreckage was located two days after the accident in heavily wooded, mountainous terrain near the crest of an 1,800 foot ridge line. The airplane was found fragmented along an up sloping path extending approximately 500 feet from the initial contact with trees. Examination of the airframe and engine revealed no evidence of any pre-impact mechanical malfunctions. An autopsy and toxicology of the pilot revealed no evidence of physical impairment or incapacitation.
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: 150 hours in all; 97 in this make and model; 12 in the last 90 days; 5 in the last 30 days; 78 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,544 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 1, 1998; 64 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,650 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-L (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: DAL Dallas TX at 3:40 am
- Destination: ASG Springdale AR
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 100° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 9 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 5,500 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 52°F (11°C), dew point 45°F (7°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:53 am from MLC, 43 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
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.