Cessna 182 accident near Rolla, Missouri, September 12, 1986
On September 12, 1986 at about 8:00 pm local time, a Cessna 182, registered N9161X, was substantially damaged in an accident near Rolla, Missouri. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. 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
- September 12, 1986 · about 8:00 pm local time
- Place
- Rolla, Missouri · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182 · all 182s on the register
- Registration
- N9161X · no longer on the register · serial 18253561
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT HAD TAXIED HIS ACFT TO THE UPWIND END OF HIS PVT STRIP AFTER LANDING AND COMMENCED HIS TAKEOFF ROLL DOWNWIND. SHORTLY AFTER BECOMING AIRBORNE, THE ACFT STALLED AND DESCENDED OUT OF CONTROL TO THE RWY. AFTER THE IMPACT THE ACFT WAS DESTROYED BY A POST CRASH FIRE. A WITNESS STATED THAT THE PLT HAD FORGOTTEN TO RESET THE ELEVATOR TRIP FOR TAKEOFF AFTER THE ACFT CAME IN FOR A LANDING.
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: 2,750 hours in all; 270 in this make and model; 2,500 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,014 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 5, 1985
- Maximum gross weight: 2,650 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-R (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: Rolla MO at 7:55 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 27, 2,560 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 290° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; scat at 5,000 ft
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 55°F (13°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:00 pm from VIH, 10 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.
Other NTSB records under N9161X 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.