Cessna 182P accident near Stow, Massachusetts, January 10, 1993
On January 10, 1993 at about 7:00 pm local time, a Cessna 182P, registered N52785, was destroyed in an accident near Stow, Massachusetts (Minute Man Airfield). 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
AN INADEQUATE PREFLIGHT BY THE PILOT, WHICH ALLOWED WATER CONTAMINATION IN THE FUEL AND SUBSEQUENT LOSS OF ENGINE POWER; AND FAILURE OF THE PILOT TO MAINTAIN ADEQUATE AIRSPEED, WHICH RESULTED IN A STALL.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 10, 1993 · about 7:00 pm local time
- Place
- Stow, Massachusetts · Minute Man Airfield
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182P · all 182Ps on the register
- Registration
- N52785 · no longer on the register · serial 18262843
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THIS WAS THE FIRST FLIGHT OF THE DAY, AND THE AIRPLANE WAS LAST REFUELED AT MINUTE MAN AIRPORT IN NOVEMBER. ACCORDING TO AIRCRAFT RECORDS, THE AIRPLANE WAS INACTIVE FOR TWO MONTHS. THERE WERE NO WITNESSES TO THE PREFLIGHT; HOWEVER, THE AIRCRAFT WAS VIEWED BY TWO OTHER PILOTS TO DEPART FROM RUNWAY 3. AT ABOUT 100 FEET ABOVE THE GROUND, THE ENGINE SOUNDS WERE INTERMITTENT. THE WITNESSES REPORTED THAT DURING THE CLIMB, BLACK SMOKE WAS COMING FROM THE AIRCRAFT EXHAUST. A SECOND WITNESS, WHO SAW THE CRASH, STATED THAT THE PILOT TRIED TO MAKE A LEFT TURN, BUT THE AIRPLANE FELL TO THE GROUND IN A NEAR VERTICAL POSITION. INSPECTION OF THE FUEL SYSTEM REVEALED ABOUT ONE QUARTER OF THE FUEL CONTENTS OF THE FUEL CONTROL VALVE WAS WATER. BOTH FUEL CAPS WERE SECURED TO THEIR RESPECTIVE TANKS, AND WHEN SPRAYED WITH WATER, NO LEAKAGE PAST THE CAPS INTO THE TANKS WAS NOTED. EXAMINATION OF THE ENGINE DID NOT DISCLOSE EVIDENCE OF MECHANICAL MALFUNCTION.
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: 725 hours in all; 627 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,287 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 28, 1992; 40 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,950 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-R (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 6B6 at 5:00 am
- Destination: 6B6
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 3, 2,743 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 050° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 8,000 ft; scat at 4,000 ft
- Temperature: 18°F (-8°C), dew point 1°F (-17°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:45 pm from BED, 1 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.