Cessna 182L accident near Fort Belvoir, Virginia, March 12, 1983
On March 12, 1983 at about 6:54 pm local time, a Cessna 182L, registered N42587, was destroyed in an accident near Fort Belvoir, Virginia. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. 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 October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 12, 1983 · about 6:54 pm local time
- Place
- Fort Belvoir, Virginia · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182L · all 182Ls on the register
- Registration
- N42587 · no longer on the register · serial 1825902
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE AIRCRAFT WAS BEING TAXIED TO THE RUNWAY FOR TAKEOFF WHEN IT WAS OVERTURNED BY THE WIND. LOCAL WEATHER STATION HAD ISSUED A 'POINT WARNING' OF WINDS AT 25 KTS, GUSTING TO 35 KTS. THE AIRCRAFT WAS TAXIED FROM ITS PROTECTED PLACE BEHIND A HANGAR TO AN UNPROTECTED AREA WHERE THE WIND BLEW IT UP ON THE RIGHT WING AND PROP UNTIL IT NOSED OVER.
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: 778 hours in all; 723 in this make and model; 16 in the last 90 days; 555 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,947 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, February 25, 1983; 16 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,800 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-R (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Destination: BCB Blacksburg VA
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 300° at 18 knots, gusting 31
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 46°F (8°C), dew point 27°F (-3°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:55 pm from DAA
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.