Cessna C-182E accident near Townsend, Tennessee, December 1, 1997
On December 1, 1997 at about 9:34 pm local time, a Cessna C-182E, registered N9033Y, was destroyed in an accident near Townsend, Tennessee. 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
the pilot's failure to maintain VFR flight conditions in a mountainous area resulting in inflight collision with rising terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 1, 1997 · about 9:34 pm local time
- Place
- Townsend, Tennessee · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna C-182E
- Registration
- N9033Y · no longer on the register · serial 18254212
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
According to flight planning data found in the wreckage, the flight had departed Louisville, Kentucky for Gainesville, Florida. The airplane collided with terrain at the 4,300-foot level of a 4,400-foot ridgeline about 22 miles southeast of Knoxville, Tennessee, about 1:45 hours later. Cloud condition for Knoxville at the time of the accident was, ceiling 3,200 agl, or 4,200 msl. The pilot was not IFR qualified, and when queried by the Green Bay AFSS briefer about his intentions in areas of cloudiness, he stated, 'probably stay below' the clouds. There was no radio or transponder contact with any ATC facility and no flight plan was filed. There was no evidence of any precrash malfunction found with the airframe, engine, or its components, either at the site or in subsequent teardown inspection.
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: 460 hours in all; 8 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,105 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 1, 1997; 5 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,800 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-R (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: LOU Louisville KY at 7:50 pm
- Destination: GNV Gainesville FL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 010° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 3,200 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 45°F (7°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:53 pm from TYS, 22 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.