Cessna TR182 accident near Charlotte, North Carolina, December 31, 2006
On December 31, 2006 at about 4:24 pm local time, a Cessna TR182, registered N7090S, was destroyed in an accident near Charlotte, North Carolina. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 4 people were killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's spatial disorientation, which resulted in a loss of aircraft control and subsequent in-flight breakup. Contributing to the accident was instrument meteorological conditions.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 31, 2006 · about 4:24 pm local time
- Place
- Charlotte, North Carolina · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 4 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna TR182 · all TR182s on the register
- Registration
- N7090S · no longer on the register · serial R18201696
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
While receiving vectors for an instrument approach, the pilot had difficulty maintaining his assigned heading and altitude. The air traffic controller issued numerous vectors to the pilot to assist him on the approach, and instructed him to "check [his] altitude," when he observed the airplane was 400 feet too low. Witnesses observed the airplane emerge from the base of a cloud deck, in a nose-dive, then break apart prior to impacting the ground. An examination of the airplane revealed no preimpact mechanical anomalies. Sections of the left wing exhibited upward loading. The pilot reported 465 hours of total flight experience, and 7.8 hours of total actual instrument experience. The pilot's most recent actual instrument experience was 1 hour, recorded 3 months prior to the accident.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 465 hours in all; 10 in the last 90 days; 5 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: April 1, 2004
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: unk
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,134 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 1, 2006
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming O-540 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MQI Manteo NC
- Destination: EHO Shelby NC
- Flight plan: IFR
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 040° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 0.8 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 500 ft
- Temperature: 52°F (11°C), dew point 50°F (10°C)
- Altimeter: 30.30 inHg
- Observation at 4:00 pm from CLT, 2 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
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.