Cessna 182A accident near New Dover, Ohio, November 24, 1997
On November 24, 1997 at about 1:35 pm local time, a Cessna 182A, registered N6068B, was destroyed in an accident near New Dover, Ohio. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's attempted VFR flight into instrument conditions and the loss of aircraft ctontrol subsequent to the pilot's spatial disorientation. Contributing factors were low ceilings, snow and the pilot's failure to obtain a preflight weather briefing, as well as his lack of instrument certification.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 24, 1997 · about 1:35 pm local time
- Place
- New Dover, Ohio · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182A · all 182As on the register
- Registration
- N6068B · no longer on the register · serial 34068
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The non instrument rated pilot recorded 362 hours of total flight time over 30 years of flying, with 6 hours recorded in the last 90 days. The pilot did not receive a weather briefing or file a flight plan for the 150 mile flight. An instrument rated pilot, who took off from the departure airport 15 minutes prior to the accident, stated that 'the weather conditions to the east of the airport looked extremely dark with the ceiling nearly to the ground.' A pilot flying an approach into the departure airport from the east stated that he spotted the accident airplane in a steep climb and it appeared to be in and out of the clouds. A witness to the accident stated that the bottom of the clouds came down to the top of the power transmission towers that crossed his field, and snow was falling, reducing visibility to approximately 3/4 mile. He heard the airplane, but could not see it until it came out of the bottom of the clouds in a nose down attitude. He stated that the engine sounded as if it went to full power prior to ground impact. No airframe or engine malfunction was detected during the examination of the wreckage.
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: 362 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,230 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 12, 1997; 20 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: I78 Marysville OH at 1:30 pm
- Destination: 02G East Liverpool OH
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 300° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 3 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 4,000 ft; scat at 1,200 ft
- Temperature: 28°F (-2°C), dew point 25°F (-4°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:53 pm from OSU, 11 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.