Cessna 182 accident near Marseilles, Illinois, August 6, 1983
On August 6, 1983 at about 3:15 pm local time, a Cessna 182, registered N6351A, was destroyed in an accident near Marseilles, Illinois (Prarie Lake airport). It was a skydiving 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
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
- August 6, 1983 · about 3:15 pm local time
- Place
- Marseilles, Illinois · Prarie Lake · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182 · all 182s on the register
- Registration
- N6351A · no longer on the register · serial 33151
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Skydiving flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT WAS ON A PARACHUTE JUMPING MISSION. AFTER CLIMBING TO 9000 FT MSL, 4 SKY DIVERS JUMPED OUT & THE PLT BEGAN A DESCENT BACK TO THE ARPT. THE ACFT WAS SEEN LEVEL AT APRX 500 FT AGL & IN THE APRX POSITION FOR A DOWNWIND LEG FOR A LEFT PATTERN FOR RUNWAY 36. ABOUT 1/2 MI NORTH OF THE NORMAL TURN POINT FOR THE BASE LEG, THE ACFT BEGAN A STEEP DESCENDING LEFT TURN. WITNESSES DESCRIBED A BANK ANGLE OF 45 TO 75 DEG & A NOSE DOWN ATTITUDE OF 20 TO 30 DEG. ONE OF THE WITNESSES REPORTED THAT THE BANK AND DESCENT ANGLES THEN BEGAN TO DECREASE, BUT AT IMPACT, THE NOSE WAS STILL LOW & THE BANK ANGLE WAS ABOUT 20 DEG. OBSERVERS SAW NO INDICATION OF PLT CONTROL MOVEMENT BEFORE IMPACT. AN EXAM OF THE WRECKAGE REVEALED NO EVIDENCE OF AN INFLT FAILURE/MALFUNCTION. THE PLT'S WIFE SAID THAT ONOCCASIONS, HE HAD EXPERIENCED SEVERE HEADACHES, BUT NEVER TO AN ALARMING POINT. SHE REPORTED THAT HE TOOK ONLY ASPRIN FOR THE HEADACHES. PATHOLOGICAL & TOXICOLOGICAL EXAMS REFLECTED NO EVIDENCE OF A PREIMPACT INCAPACTIATING PROBLEM.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 812 hours in all; 374 in this make and model; 43 in the last 90 days; 24 in the last 30 days; 696 as pilot in command; 124 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,502 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 22, 1983; 59 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,550 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-L (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 36, 2,540 ft by 120 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 010° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 8 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 25,000 ft
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 63°F (17°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:50 pm from DPA, 36 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.