Cessna 182Q accident near Cudjoe Key, Florida, April 21, 2007
On April 21, 2007 at about 3:13 am local time, a Cessna 182Q, registered N422G, was substantially damaged in an accident near Cudjoe Key, Florida. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 3 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain clearance from an active restricted area, which resulted in the airplane colliding with the tether of an aerostat.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 21, 2007 · about 3:13 am local time
- Place
- Cudjoe Key, Florida · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 3 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182Q · all 182Qs on the register
- Registration
- N422G · registry record · serial 18265396
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The flight departed Key West, Florida, for Leesburg, Florida, under night, visual meteorological conditions. As the pilot established radio contact with air traffic control (ATC), the airplane entered restricted area R-2916 without clearance, where a Tethered Aerostat Radar System (TARS) was on station. ATC attempted to inform the pilot that R-2916 was active. The airplane collided with the aerostat tether at 4,533 feet. According to information obtained from Naval Air Station Key West, the accident airplane departed from Key West international Airport on runway 27, then turned to an easterly heading, and was last seen on radar as it merged with the aerostat. At the time of the accident the airplane had been in radio communications contact with Federal Aviation Administration Miami Air Route Traffic Control Center (ARTCC), and according to an official at the Miami ARTCC, the pilot had been informed of the restricted area at Cudjoe Key. A video record from the camera mounted on the TARS flight control building, which monitors the aerostat while aloft, showed the aerostat's position lights operating, and at 2312:55, the video record showed the position lights of the accident airplane as it approached the tether. The video record showed the airplane striking the tether, entering a spin, and descending uncontrolled. Witnesses reported that the airplane collided with the tether, a wing separated, and the airplane tumbled into the water. According to the flight director's log, the log entry directly preceding the accident showed no irregularities. Examination of the wreckage did not reveal any evidence of a mechanical malfunction or failure.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 750 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Maximum gross weight: 3,100 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Teledyne Continental O-520-U/TS (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: EYW Key West FL at 3:00 am
- Destination: LEE Leesburg FL
- Flight plan: IFR
Weather at the time
- Light: night
- Wind: from 010° at 11 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 59°F (15°C)
- Altimeter: 29.97 inHg
- Observation at 2:53 am from EYW, 14 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.