Cessna 182 accident near Cocoa, Florida, October 3, 1982
On October 3, 1982 at about 5:30 pm local time, a Cessna 182, registered N2101R, was substantially damaged in an accident near Cocoa, Florida (Merritt Island airport). 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 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
- October 3, 1982 · about 5:30 pm local time
- Place
- Cocoa, Florida · Merritt Island · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182 · all 182s on the register
- Registration
- N2101R · no longer on the register · serial 18255301
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING TAKEOFF, THE ENGINE LOST POWER AS THE AIRCRAFT WAS CLIMBING THROUGH ABOUT 300 FT AGL. THE PILOT S-TURNED AND LANDED ON A CLEAR AREA BESIDE THE RUNWAY TO KEEP FROM GOING INTO A RIVER. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE NOSE GEAR COLLAPSED AND THE AIRCRAFT FLIPPED OVER. AN EXAMINATION OF THE ENGINE REVEALED NO EVIDENCE OF A MALFUNCTION OR FAILURE. ABOUT 4 OUNCES OF WATER WAS FOUND IN THE FIRE WALL FUEL STRAINER. THE CARBURETOR HAD FAILED DURING IMPACT.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,738 hours in all; 203 in this make and model; 10 in the last 90 days; 2,738 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,103 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,112 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-L (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: COI Cocoa FL
- Destination: X21 Titusville FL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 11, 3,500 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 100° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 10,000 ft; scat at 4,000 ft
- Temperature: 183°F (84°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:55 am from MLB, 28 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.