Cessna C-182Q accident near Piedmont, Alabama, November 2, 1998
On November 2, 1998 at about 11:15 pm local time, a Cessna C-182Q, registered N735JZ, was destroyed in an accident near Piedmont, Alabama. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed and 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 decision to continue the flight under visual flight rules into deteriorating visibility, and his failure to maintain altitude clearance with the terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 2, 1998 · about 11:15 pm local time
- Place
- Piedmont, Alabama · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed and 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna C-182Q
- Registration
- N735JZ · no longer on the register · serial 18265473
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The flight was a 2-leg cross-country from Storm Lake, Iowa, to Carrollton, Georgia, with a stop for fuel at Cape Girardeau, Missouri. According to the survivor, deteriorating visibility from drizzle and sunset caused the pilot to begin a slow descent to maintain visual contact with the ground. The airplane collided with a mountain crest at about the 2,000-foot level. Postcrash examination of the airframe and engine, together with the private-rated pilot/rear seat passenger's statement revealed no malfunctions with the engine, aircraft control, flight instrument, or navigation systems.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 8,000 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,869 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 14, 1998; 29 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,950 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-U (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: CGI Cape Girardeau MO at 8:30 pm
- Destination: CTJ Carrollton GA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Wind: from 050° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 2 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 1,200 ft; scat at 500 ft
- Temperature: 68°F (20°C), dew point 66°F (19°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:03 pm from ANB, 27 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 | 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.