Cessna 182A accident near La Belle, Florida, October 21, 1988
On October 21, 1988 at about 7:45 pm local time, a Cessna 182A, registered N4930D, was substantially damaged in an accident near La Belle, Florida (Orange Grove airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 3 people were 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 21, 1988 · about 7:45 pm local time
- Place
- La Belle, Florida · Orange Grove · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182A · all 182As on the register
- Registration
- N4930D · registry record · serial 51030
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING SOFT FIELD TAKEOFF FROM A ROUGH STRIP THE ACFT COLLIDED WITH A HOLE CAUSING THE NOSE WHEEL TO DROP ONTO THE RUNWAY HARD. THE NOSE WHEEL SEPARATED AND THE ACFT VEERED TO THE RIGHT AND COLLIDED WITH A DRAINAGE DITCH. .
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
- Flight time: 320 hours in all; 201 in this make and model; 6 in the last 90 days; 3 in the last 30 days; 245 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,076 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 1, 1987; 106 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,650 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-L (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Destination: FD77 Wimauma FL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 27, 3,500 ft by 70 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 270° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 3,000 ft
- Temperature: 88°F (31°C), dew point 64°F (18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:50 pm from FMY, 23 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.
Other NTSB records under N4930D the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.