Cessna 172 accident near 3Nm East Of Mar, Utah, March 5, 1982
On March 5, 1982, a Cessna 172, registered N3963F, was destroyed in an accident near 3Nm East Of Mar, Utah. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 3 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
- March 5, 1982
- Place
- 3Nm East Of Mar, Utah · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 3 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172 · all 172s on the register
- Registration
- N3963F · no longer on the register · serial 36863
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WITNESSES IN THE VICINITY OF THE ACCIDENT AT THE APPROXIMATE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT STATED THAT BLIZZARD LIKE WEATHER CONDITIONS EXISTED, THAT THE SNOW FALL WAS DENSE & THE WIND WAS VARIABLE & GUSTING. THE WRECKAGE WAS LOCATED ATOP A MOUNTAIN AT APPROXIMATELY THE 7500 FT LEVEL. PERSONS WHO KNEW THE PLT STATED HE WOULD FLY IN WX CONDITIONS EXCEEDING VFR CONDITIONS.
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: 228 hours in all; 218 in this make and model; 67 in the last 90 days; 195 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,136 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 27 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,200 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-300-A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: KNB Kanab UT at 4:00 pm
- Destination: SLC Salt Lake City UT
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Sky: not recorded
- Temperature: 86°F (30°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.