Cessna 182Q accident near Crestview, Florida, November 6, 1993
On November 6, 1993 at about 1:05 am local time, a Cessna 182Q, registered N97450, was destroyed in an accident near Crestview, Florida (Bob Sikes airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
WAS INCAPACITATION OF THE PILOT DUE TO CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE DURING AN INSTRUMENT APPROACH RESULTING IN THE AIRCRAFT DESCENDING UNCONTROLLED UNTIL TREE AND GROUND IMPACT. CONTRIBUTING TO THE ACCIDENT WAS THE PILOT'S DECISION TO FLY WITH KNOWN CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 6, 1993 · about 1:05 am local time
- Place
- Crestview, Florida · Bob Sikes · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182Q · all 182Qs on the register
- Registration
- N97450 · no longer on the register · serial 18267098
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Witnesses observed the aircraft flying low along the approach course through the clouds with the landing light on and with the engine operating normally. They heard the aircraft contact trees several times and then crash to the ground, followed by several explosions. Examination of the aircraft structure, flight controls, engine, and vacuum pump revealed no evidence to indicate precrash failure or malfunction. The medical examiner reported the pilot had 'severely restrictive coronary artery disease and no evidence of fire inhalation or premortem fractures of the skull, spine, ribs, or limbs.' He further reported 'it appears likely, in view of the coronary disease, that the victim might well have suffered a heart seizure and lost awareness.' Post mortem toxicology tests indicated the pilot was taking metoprolol and naproxen which had been subscribed to him by his doctor for hypertension. The pilot had not reported his hypertension or use of the medications to the FAA. He had an FAA medical exam 2 days before the accident.
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: airline transport pilot, flight instructor
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: helicopter; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 20,000 hours in all; 50 in the last 90 days; 15 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,950 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 7, 1993; 50 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,950 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-470-DCF (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: MOB Mobile AL
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 230° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 800 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 70°F (21°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:09 am from CEW, 4 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.