Cessna 182 accident near Clarksville, Tennessee, May 6, 2018
On May 6, 2018 at about 7:25 pm local time, a 1983 Cessna 182, registered N5419E, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (landing roll) near Clarksville, Tennessee (Outlaw Field). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s decision to land with a tailwind in variable crosswind and downdraft and updraft conditions on a wet runway, which resulted in a runway overrun.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 6, 2018 · about 7:25 pm local time
- Place
- Clarksville, Tennessee · Outlaw Field · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182 R, built 1983 · all 182s on the register
- Registration
- N5419E · no longer on the register · serial 18268317
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
According to the pilot, the weather began to deteriorate during the previous approach and the airplane encountered updrafts and downdrafts. Additionally, he noticed that it had begun to rain, and he aborted the landing. He reported that, during the next approach, there was a variable crosswind and that the updrafts and downdrafts continued. He added that, during the landing roll, the wind direction may have shifted to a tailwind and that the brakes did not have "the normal stopping effect." The airplane overran the runway and struck a fence before coming to rest on a public road. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left-wing spar. Ten minutes before the accident, the METAR at the airport reported that the wind was from 260° at 9 knots and lightning was in the distance from the west to northeast. About the time of the accident, the wind was from 350° at 24 knots, gusting to 33 knots with a peak wind from 350° at 33 knots and lightning in the distance from the west to northeast. Ten minutes after the accident, the METAR reported that the wind was from 10° at 20 knots, gusting to 31 knots with a peak wind from 350° at 33 knots and shifting and lightening in all quadrants with thunderstorms and light rain. The pilot landed the airplane on runway 23. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
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
What happened, in order
- Other weather encounter during approach
- Landing area overshoot during landing (landing roll) defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing (landing roll)
- Runway excursion during landing
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Pilot
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Wind › Tailwind › Effect on operation
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Fence/fence post › Contributed to outcome
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Wind › Variable wind › Effect on operation
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Wind › Updraft › Effect on operation
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Wind › Downdraft › Effect on operation
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 4,377 hours in all; 918 in this make and model; 3 in the last 90 days; 2 in the last 30 days; 4,000 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: May 29, 2017
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,616.8 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, December 19, 2017
- Maximum gross weight: 3,100 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-U-38B (piston); 8 hours total
- Operator: Civil Air Patrol INC
The flight
- Departed from: CKV Clarksville TN at 6:15 pm
- Destination: 4M7 Russellville KY
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 23, 4,004 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 350° at 24 knots, gusting 33
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 7,000 ft
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 52°F (11°C)
- Altimeter: 30.01 inHg
- Observation at 8:22 pm from CKV
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
2 documents, released by the NTSB on September 17, 2018. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Photo | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Other NTSB records under N5419E the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.