Cessna 182A accident near Bryan, Texas, September 18, 1999
On September 18, 1999 at about 11:59 pm local time, a Cessna 182A, registered N4803D, was destroyed in an accident near Bryan, Texas (Coulter Field). It was a skydiving flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 5 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 resulting in an inadvertent stall. A factor was the loss of engine power as a result of fatigue cracking and separation of the #6 cylinder head.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 18, 1999 · about 11:59 pm local time
- Place
- Bryan, Texas · Coulter Field · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 5 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182A · all 182As on the register
- Registration
- N4803D · no longer on the register · serial 34903
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Skydiving flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Witnesses reported that the single-engine airplane's takeoff and climb appeared to be normal. As the airplane climbed through 400 feet, a puff of black smoke was observed emanating from the right side of the engine compartment. The airplane nosed up slightly, then nosed down turning about 360 degrees before descending rapidly from view. One witness heard the engine start missing before the airplane turned and descended. Continuity was established to all flight controls. Examination of the engine revealed that the #6 cylinder head separated from its cylinder barrel as a result of fatigue cracking originating in the cylinder head threads. When the engine was overhauled about 353.86 hours prior to the accident, 6 Nu-chromed overhauled cylinders were installed. It could not be determined how many hours the cylinders had accumulated nor how many times they had been overhauled. There is no requirement to track cylinder hours or overhaul occurrences.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 810 hours in all; 341 in this make and model; 115 in the last 90 days; 75 in the last 30 days; 667 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,926 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, January 28, 1999; 105 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,650 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-L (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: CFD at 11:59 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 14, 4,000 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 100° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 55°F (13°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:53 pm from CLL, 7 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 4 |
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.