Cessna 182D accident near Weyers Cave, Virginia, February 24, 2006
On February 24, 2006 at about 4:15 am local time, a Cessna 182D, registered N9178X, was destroyed in an accident near Weyers Cave, Virginia (Eagle'S Nest airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's improper decision to maneuver at a low altitude at night, and his failure to maintain adequate altitude/clearance, which resulted in a collision with power lines. A factor in this accident was the night light conditions.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 24, 2006 · about 4:15 am local time
- Place
- Weyers Cave, Virginia · Eagle'S Nest · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182D · all 182Ds on the register
- Registration
- N9178X · no longer on the register · serial 18253578
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot departed in night visual meteorological conditions, and was communicating via a cell phone, with a friend driving northbound on a highway. The pilot was maneuvering the airplane low over the highway, when it contacted power lines that were located about 100 feet above the ground. The airplane subsequently impacted the ground, and came to rest in a ditch, where it was destroyed during a postcrash fire. Examination of the airplane did not reveal any preimpact malfunctions. The pilot reported 4,000 hours of total flight experience on his most recent application for a medical certificate, which was issued about 6 months prior to the accident. The weather reported at an airport that was located about 2 miles southeast of the accident site, about the time of the accident, included, a visibility of 10 statue miles, and scattered clouds at 9,500 feet.
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, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 4,432 hours in all
- Last flight review: April 1, 2004
- Medical certificate: Class 1
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,060 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 1, 2007; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,850 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Teledyne Continental O-470-L (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: W13 Waynesboro VA at 4:00 am
- Destination: W13 Waynesboro VA
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: night
- Wind: from 260° at 10 knots, gusting 19
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 9,500 ft
- Temperature: 48°F (9°C), dew point 18°F (-8°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:20 pm from SHD, 2 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.