Cessna 182H accident near Chuluota, Florida, February 23, 1983
On February 23, 1983 at about 3:00 pm local time, a Cessna 182H, registered N2081X, was destroyed in an accident near Chuluota, Florida (Flying Seminole Ranch airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 23, 1983 · about 3:00 pm local time
- Place
- Chuluota, Florida · Flying Seminole Ranch · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182H · all 182Hs on the register
- Registration
- N2081X · no longer on the register · serial 18256181
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT CRASHED FROM 200 FT AGL ON TAKEOFF.WITNESSES SAID THE ENGINE QUIT AND THE ACFT MADE A STEEP LEFT TURN AND THEN DOVE STRAIGHT TO THE GROUND. THE ACFT HAD ALMOST MADE A 180 DEGREE TURN TO LINE UP WITH STATE ROAD 419 WHEN IT CRASHED. THIS ROAD PARALLELED THE TAKEOFF RWY ABOUT 600 FT TO THE SOUTH. THE ACFT HAD JUST BEEN REFUELED BEFORE TAKEOFF. OTHER ACFT USED THIS FUEL SOURCE AND NOTED NO DISCREPANCIES RELATED TO FUELING. EXAMINATION OF THE POWERPLANT WAS ACCOMPLISHEDWITH NEGATIVE RESULTS. A SUBSTANTIAL AMOUNT OF WATER WAS FOUND AROUND THE CENTER ELECTRODE OF THE SPARK PLUGS. EVIDENCE OF MOISTURE WAS ALSO FOUND IN THE CARBURETOR BOWL, HOWEVER THE FIRE DEPT HAD SPRAYED CONSIDERABLE AMOUNTS OF WATER OVER THE WRECKAGE TO EXTINGUISH THE INTENSE POST CRASH FIRE.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: glider; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 600 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,729 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 14, 1982
- Maximum gross weight: 2,800 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-R (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Destination: SSI Jekyll Island GA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 29, 4,000 ft by 160 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 270° at 12 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded at 4,000 ft
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:00 pm from ORL, 12 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.