Cessna 182E accident near Ashland, Virginia, January 19, 2007
On January 19, 2007 at about 11:45 pm local time, a Cessna 182E, registered N9392X, was substantially damaged in an accident near Ashland, Virginia (Hanover County airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to properly secure the seat locking pin.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 19, 2007 · about 11:45 pm local time
- Place
- Ashland, Virginia · Hanover County · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182E · all 182Es on the register
- Registration
- N9392X · no longer on the register · serial 18253792
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot of the Cessna 182E reported that he was conducting night proficiency takeoffs and landings. The first two takeoffs and landings occurred normally; however, after the third takeoff, just after the airplane had lifted off the runway, the pilot's seat slipped all the way to the rear stops. The pilot then pulled the throttle back to prevent a further climb, and the airplane landed hard on the runway. A subsequent examination of the seat rails, seat rail pinholes, seat adjustment pin and coil spring by a manufacturer's representative and a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector revealed no anomalies. Airworthiness Directive 87-20-03 R2 had been complied with, and an annual inspection had been performed about 7 months earlier. Another FAA inspector, about the same size of the pilot, subsequently tested the seat locking mechanisms while sitting in the seat. He found that when the seat locking pin was secured in any of the pin holes, he could not move the seat. However, when the seat pin was not securely locked in a hole, with "very little" weight shift, the seat would slide backwards to the rear stops without the pin engaging any of the pinholes.
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: 139 hours in all; 73 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 3
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,130 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 1, 2006
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: OFP Ashland VA
- Destination: Ashland VA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 34
Weather at the time
- Light: night
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.