Cessna 182F accident near Tallassee, Alabama, May 28, 1983
On May 28, 1983 at about 10:00 pm local time, a Cessna 182F, registered N3112U, was substantially damaged in an accident near Tallassee, Alabama. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries; 3 others were unhurt. The weather was conditions the NTSB did not record.
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
- May 28, 1983 · about 10:00 pm local time
- Place
- Tallassee, Alabama · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries; 3 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- conditions the NTSB did not record
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182F · all 182Fs on the register
- Registration
- N3112U · registry record · serial 18254512
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AS THE STUDENT JUMPER WAS GETTING OUT OF THE AIRCRAFT AND ONTO THE STEP IN PREPARATION FOR A PARACHUTE JUMP THE PACK TRAY PREMATURELY OPENED AND THE CANOPY BLOSSOMED UNDER THE TAIL PULLING THE JUMPER INTO THE HORIZONTAL STABILIZER CAUSING A CUT ON HIS LEFT SHIN. ABOUT 15 INCHES OF THE RIGHT HORIZONTAL STABILIZER AND ELEVATOR WERE SHEARED BY THE JUMPER. THE REMAINDER WAS CRUMPLED AND DEFORMED FROM MID-SPAN OUTWARD. A WITNESS STATED THAT THE ONLY WAY THIS COULD HAPPEN WAS IF THE PILOT HAD THE YOKE BACK AND THE TAIL LOW. IN OTHER PREMATURE OPENINGS THE WITNESS HAD BEEN INVOLVED WITH, THE PARACHUTE OPENED UNDER THE TAIL AND THE JUMPER ALSO WENT UNDER THE TAIL CLEARING THE AIRCRAFT STRUCTURE IN ALL CASES.
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
- Flight time: 174 hours in all; 147 in this make and model; 8 in the last 90 days; 7 in the last 30 days; 138 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 475 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, August 20, 1982; 160 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,800 lb
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-L (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 | 2 |
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.