Cessna 182E accident near Pymatuning, Pennsylvania, December 29, 1995
On December 29, 1995 at about 6:20 am local time, a Cessna 182E, registered N3290Y, was destroyed in an accident near Pymatuning, Pennsylvania. 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 intentional suicide.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 29, 1995 · about 6:20 am local time
- Place
- Pymatuning, Pennsylvania · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182E · all 182Es on the register
- Registration
- N3290Y · no longer on the register · serial 18254290
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane had departed between 1900 and 2000. About 2215 it was observed on radar in a climbing turn. The pilot was not in radio contact with any ATC facility. The airplane continued to climb past 21,000 feet. About 0045, an ATC controller established radio contact with the pilot. The pilot indicated that he was out of fuel. The airplane was observed descending out of 21,000 feet. The pilot was transferred to another controller, and the pilot advised him that he was out of 21,000 feet and requested an approach. The controller informed the pilot of an airport 5 miles north of the airplane's position; however, the pilot declined the advice and stated, 'Yeah, I prefer water.' Similar conversations continued for the next 20 minutes, where the controller offered assistance and advice, and the pilot continued to request a water landing. During the descent, the pilot made a comment concerning the water, 'All things considered, I think that would be the best place to go.' He also stated, 'As you might have guessed, I have not had a good day...Ah you don't understand, I'm going swimming tonight.' The pilot's last transmission reported, 'Uh, I thing [sic] it's right under me.' The airplane then struck an ice covered reservoir in a nose down attitude, and the engine and cockpit areas penetrated the 6-inch thick ice. The airplane was operated by a flying club, overdue an annual maintenance inspection, and was not scheduled to be flown. The pilot's automobile had been involved in a fatal hit-and-run accident the night before the takeoff, and an arrest warrant had been issued for the pilot.
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: 500 hours in all; 100 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,430 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 8, 1994; 330 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,800 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: AKR Akron OH at 11:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 240° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 1,000 ft
- Temperature: 16°F (-9°C), dew point 14°F (-10°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:06 am from YNG, 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.
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.