Cessna 182 accident near Coulterville, Illinois, April 9, 1983
On April 9, 1983 at about 1:40 am local time, a Cessna 182, registered N92734, was destroyed in an accident near Coulterville, Illinois. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
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
- April 9, 1983 · about 1:40 am local time
- Place
- Coulterville, Illinois · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182 · all 182s on the register
- Registration
- N92734 · registry record · serial 18260332
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING A WX BRIEFING BEFORE TAKEOFF, THE NON-INSTRUMENT RATED PLT WAS ADVISED THAT VFR FLT WAS NOT RECOMMENDED. HOWEVER, HE DEPARTED SHEBOYGAN, WI AT APRX 1500 CST WITH NO FLT PLAN. AT DUSK, WITNESSES (NEAR THE CRASH SITE) HEARD THE ACFT MANEUVERING. ONE WITNESS HEARD THE ACFT FLY OVER HIS HOUSE, THEN CIRCLE BACK BEFORE CRASHING. ANOTHER WITNESS REPORTED THAT THE PLT SEEMED TO BE VARYING HIS ALTITUDE. HE STATED THAT THE ACFT LEFT THE AREA, THEN CAME BACK AND SUBSEQUENTLY, IT SOUNDED LIKE THE PILOT WAS TRYING TO PULL UP WHEN THE PLANE CRASHED. A THIRD WITNESS STATED THAT THE PLANE SOUNDED LIKE IT WAS IN A DIVE BEFORE IT CRASHED. THE ACFT IMPACTED IN A LEVEL FIELD AND WAS DEMOLISHED. THE MAIN WRECKAGE WAS FOUND ABOUT 7 FT FROM THE INITIAL IMPACT POINT. THE COUNTY CORONER ESTIMATED THAT THE WX WAS 200 FT OBSCURED, 1/8 MI VISIBILITY WITH RAIN AND FOG.
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: 336 hours in all; 41 in this make and model; 20 in the last 90 days; 5 in the last 30 days; 297 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (expired)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,945 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 30, 1982; 40 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,550 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-R (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SBM Sheboygan WI at 9:00 pm
- Destination: M013 Lutesville MO
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Sky: not recorded at 200 ft
- Temperature: 48°F (9°C), dew point 48°F (9°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.
Other NTSB records under N92734 the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.