Cessna 182N accident near La Belle, Florida, January 9, 1991
On January 9, 1991 at about 6:00 am local time, a Cessna 182N, registered N69UU, was destroyed in an accident near La Belle, Florida. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE PILOT'S FAILURE TO MAINTAIN ALTITUDE. A FACTOR WAS THE PILOT'S FAILURE TO OBTAIN A WEATHER FORECAST.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 9, 1991 · about 6:00 am local time
- Place
- La Belle, Florida · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182N · all 182Ns on the register
- Registration
- N69UU · registry record · serial 18260670
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT DID NOT OBTAIN A WX BRIEFING FOR A NIGHT CROSS COUNTRY FLT. HIS CHARTS & AIRPORT FACILITY DIRECTORY (AFD) WERE IN HIS BRIEFCSE IN THE BACK SEAT. THE FLT DEPARTED & ABOUT 8 MILES WEST OF THE DEPARTURE ARPT, ENCOUNTERED FOG. THE PLT BECAME DISORIENTED & LOST. HE OBTAINED THE AFD, ENTERED THE COORDINATES INTO HIS LORAN RECEIVER; WHICH INDICATED THE ACFT WAS 26 MILES SOUTHEAST. HE INITIATED A TURN TO RETURN & WHILE CALLING HIS INSTRUCTOR VIA A PORTABLE TELEPHONE TO OBTAIN CURRENT WX CONDITIONS, 'LOST TRACK OF ALTITUDE, MISREAD ALTIMITER'. THE ACFT COLLIDED WITH TREES. THE ACFT CAUGHT FIRE WHILE HE WAS ATTEMPTING TO RECOVER HIS BRIEFCASE. THE PLT STATED THERE WAS NO ENGINE MALFUNCTION.
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: 145 hours in all; 90 in this make and model; 8 in the last 90 days; 4 in the last 30 days; 110 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded, January 2, 2000
- Maximum gross weight: 2,950 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-R (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: 8X6 Lake Placid FL at 4:45 am
- Destination: X06 Arcadia FL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 050° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 500 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 66°F (19°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:50 am from RSW, 21 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.