Cessna 182A accident near Pensacola, Florida, August 23, 1987
On August 23, 1987 at about 9:40 am local time, a Cessna 182A, registered N4741D, was destroyed in an accident near Pensacola, Florida (Ferguson airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were seriously injured. 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
- August 23, 1987 · about 9:40 am local time
- Place
- Pensacola, Florida · Ferguson · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182A · all 182As on the register
- Registration
- N4741D · no longer on the register · serial 34841
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT STATED THAT JUST AFTER LIFTOFF HE FLEW INTO A LAYER OF HAZE AND BECAME DISORIENTED, THE AIRCRAFT STALLED, CRASHED INTO A DIRT MOUND, SPUN AROUND AND CAME TO REST OFF THE LEFT SIDE OF THE RUNWAY. THE AIRCRAFT THEN EXPLODED AND WAS CONSUMED BY 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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 3,630 hours in all; 2,000 in this make and model; 40 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,500 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection; 80 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,650 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-L (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Destination: MTO Matune IL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 36, 2,600 ft by 200 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 350° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 4 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 77°F (25°C), dew point 75°F (24°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:20 am from PNS
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.