Cessna 182D accident near Numidia, Pennsylvania, May 15, 1990
On May 15, 1990 at about 10:00 am local time, a Cessna 182D, registered N8757X, was destroyed in an accident near Numidia, Pennsylvania. It was a positioning flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
INFLIGHT COLLISION WITH TREES WHILE ATTEMPTING TO MAINTAIN VISUAL REFERENCE WITH THE GROUND IN INSTRUMENT METEOROLOGICAL FLIGHT CONDITIONS. CONTRIBUTING TO THE ACCIDENT WAS THE PILOT'S DECISION TO CONTINUE THE FLIGHT IN DETERIORATING WEATHER CONDITIONS IN AN AREA OF HIGH TERRAIN.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 15, 1990 · about 10:00 am local time
- Place
- Numidia, Pennsylvania
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182D · all 182Ds on the register
- Registration
- N8757X · no longer on the register · serial 18253157
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Positioning flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE AIRPLANE TOOK OFF FROM AN UNCONTROLLED ARPT, ENROUTE TO AN ARPT WITH AN ILS. THE PILOT HAD RECEIVED HIS INSTRUMENT RATING 3 WEEKS PRIOR AND THE AIRPLANE WAS INSTRUMENT EQUIPPED. THERE WAS NO RECORD OF A WEATHER BRIEFING FOR THE PILOT OR A FLIGHT PLAN FOR THE TRIP. RADAR DATA SHOWED A UNIDENTIFIED CODE 1200 AND THEN A PRIMARY TARGET MOVING FIRST IN AN EASTERLY DIRECTION, MANEUVERING, AND THEN HEADED BACK WEST. THE LAST TARGET WAS 7 MILES FROM THE ACCIDENT SITE APPROXIMATELY 3 MINUTES PRIOR TO THE ACCIDENT. THE AIRCRAFT IMPACTED TREES ON A RIDGE LINE HEADING IN A WESTERLY DIRECTION, HEADING TOWARD THE AIRPORT OF DEPARTURE. EYEWITNESSES IN THE AREA REPORTED REDUCED VISIBILITY WITH FOG ON THE MOUNTAIN.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,056 hours in all; 956 in this make and model; 685 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,700 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 15, 1990
- Maximum gross weight: 2,650 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-L (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: N79 Shamokin PA
- Destination: H2L Hazleton PA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Sky: not recorded
- 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.