Cessna TR 182 accident near Seneca Rocks, West Virginia, July 25, 1983
On July 25, 1983, a Cessna TR 182, registered N737JA, was substantially damaged in an accident near Seneca Rocks, West Virginia. It was a business 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 NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 25, 1983 · cases in 1983
- Place
- Seneca Rocks, West Virginia · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna TR 182 · all TR 182s on the register
- Registration
- N737JA · registry record · serial 18200834
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT COLLIDED WITH TREES AND THE GROUND FOLLOWING A REPORTED LOSS OF POWER. THE ACFT HAD COMPLETED A DESCENT OF 2000-3000 FT TO OBSERVE ROCK FORMATIONS AND HAD COMMENCED A CLIMB WHEN POWER LOSS OCCURRED. THE PLT SAID THE MIXTURE WASLEFT IN LEAN POSITION AND CARBURETOR HEAT WAS NOT APPLIED DURING THE DESCENT. WHEN THE POWER WAS ADVANCED TO 25 INCHES MP THE POWER DECREASED TO 22 INCHES AFTER ABOUT 45 SECONDS WITHOUT PLT ACTION. COMPLETE POWER WAS NEVER LOST BUT THE RISING TERRAIN TRAPPED THE ACFT. THE ENGINE RAN NORMALLY IN A POST ACCIDENT CHECK. AT THE TEMPERATURE/DEW POINT COMBINATION OF 71/58 DEG F THE PROBABILITY OF SERIOUS ICING AT GLIDE POWER EXISTED.
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: 40 in the last 90 days; 320 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 678 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 5, 1983; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,100 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming O-540-L3C5D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: EKN Elkins WV
- Destination: GAI Gaithersburg MD
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 340° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; scat at 4,000 ft
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 63°F (17°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
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.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N737JA on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Cessna TR182 Turbo Skylane RG 465 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Cessna 72,678 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Lycoming O-540-L3C5D 18 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Elkins/Randolph County (Jennings Randolph Field) · departed from
- Montgomery County Airpark · bound for
- Accidents and incidents in West Virginia 424 since 1982 · 54 in the last ten years
- West Virginia 885 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/ATL83FA290.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.