Cessna 182R accident near Everglades City, Florida, January 26, 2003
On January 26, 2003 at about 4:50 pm local time, a Cessna 182R, registered N9973H, was substantially damaged in an accident near Everglades City, Florida (Everglades airport). It was an instructional 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
student pilot's improper use of the brakes at the landing touchdown which caused the left main landing gear tire to burst, resulting in the student and certified flight instructor pilots not being able to maintain control of the airplane, and the subsequent impact with bushes.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 26, 2003 · about 4:50 pm local time
- Place
- Everglades City, Florida · Everglades · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182R · all 182Rs on the register
- Registration
- N9973H · no longer on the register · serial 18268154
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During a touch and go landing with the student pilot on the controls, the left main landing gear tire burst. The airplane veered to the left, departed the runway, and entered into grass. The CFI said, "...we tried to turn to the right, but lost control of the aircraft and it went into the bushes." In addition, the CFI stated that the student pilot used "brakes" on landing, instead of "rudder only," and his feet were on the brakes when the airplane touched down.
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
Flight instructor
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,100 hours in all; 60 in this make and model; 110 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1
Dual student
No details recorded.
The aircraft
- Maximum gross weight: 3,400 lb
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-U17 (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Dean International Inc.
The flight
- Departed from: TMB Miami FL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 33
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
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.