Cessna 182D accident near Heber, Arizona, January 1, 2006
On January 1, 2006 at about 2:30 am local time, a Cessna 182D, registered N182GV, was destroyed in an accident near Heber, Arizona (Na airport). 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
the pilot's failure to maintain altitude/clearance from terrain. Contributing factors included the pilot's lack of night flying experience and the dark night.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 1, 2006 · about 2:30 am local time
- Place
- Heber, Arizona · Na · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182D · all 182Ds on the register
- Registration
- N182GV · no longer on the register · serial 18253367
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane was the subject of an (alert notification) ALNOT issued January 1, 2006.The accident site was located in a forested area at an elevation of 7,050 feet msl and the airplane impacted on a heading of 220 degrees. The wreckage was scattered 580 feet. Sunset was recorded at 1726 and the end of civil twilight was 1754. The moon rose at 0825 and set at 1807 on the day of the accident. The moon was waxing crescent with one percent of its visible disk illuminated. An examination of the airframe, airplane's systems, and power plant revealed no anomalies that would have precluded normal and correct operation prior to impact. According to flight records, the pilot had logged 3 hours of night flight experience.
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: 86 hours in all; 53 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: March 1, 2005
- Medical certificate: Class 3
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 7,020.6 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 1, 2005
- Maximum gross weight: 2,950 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Teledyne Continental O-470-R (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: DRO Durango CO
- Destination: SDL Scottsdale AZ
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 160° at 8 knots, gusting 17
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 48°F (9°C), dew point 25°F (-4°C)
- Altimeter: 29.82 inHg
- Observation at 2:10 am from INW, 35 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.