Cessna 182 accident near Rutherfordton, NC
On July 8, 2024, a Cessna 182 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Rutherfordton, NC. 3 people died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- July 8, 2024
- Place
- Rutherfordton, NC
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182 · Airplane
- Injuries
- 3 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 35.529°N, 81.916°W
- NTSB ID
- 20240708194627
Official records · ERA24FA294
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn July 7, 2024, about 2107 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 182A airplane, N2198G, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident near Rutherfordton, North Carolina. The pilot and two passengers were fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 positioning flight. The pilot flew the airplane to Johnson County Airport (6A4), Mountain City, Tennessee, from Rutherford County/Marchman Field (FQD), Rutherfordton, North Carolina, on the morning of the accident for the purpose of skydiving operations. According to the owner of the skydiving operation, the pilot completed jump operations about 1945 and was returning to FQD when the accident occurred. Before the flight back to FQD, the owner of the skydiving operation, the pilot, and the two skydiving instructors who were passengers on the accident flight discussed the weather that was over FQD during the day. They had three plans in place. The first one was for the owner to drive them back to FQD, and the pilot would pick the airplane up on another day. The second was to fly to FQD. The third was to divert to Asheville, North Carolina, in case the weather had not cleared over FQD. The owner of the skydiving operation reported that the pilot then checked the weather one last time and decided it had just cleared at FQD, so he decided to fly there. They still discussed diverting to Asheville, North Carolina, in case the weather they encountered was different from what he saw on the radar. The pilot and the two skydiving instructors then departed 6A4 shortly before 203
Probable cause
The pilot’s failure to maintain clearance from clouds, resulting in controlled flight into terrain due to mountain obscuration.
More accidents in NC
- Douglas DC-9-31, Jul 2, 1994
- Beech 1900D, Jan 8, 2003
- Pilatus Aircraft Ltd PC-12/47E, Feb 13, 2022
- Cessna 550, Dec 18, 2025
- Beech D55, Jan 9, 1983
Browse: North Carolina · Cessna aircraft
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
