Cessna 182Q accident near Lake Powell, Utah, March 6, 1983
On March 6, 1983 at about 11:00 pm local time, a Cessna 182Q, registered N96460, was destroyed in an accident near Lake Powell, Utah (Halls Crossing 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 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 6, 1983 · about 11:00 pm local time
- Place
- Lake Powell, Utah · Halls Crossing · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182Q · all 182Qs on the register
- Registration
- N96460 · no longer on the register · serial 18266727
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT WAS SEEN TO FLY ERRATICALLY BEFORE PLUNGING INTO THE LAKE DURING AN LANDING ATTEMPT. INVESTIGATION REVEALED A HISTORY OF PRE-EXISTING MEDICAL PROBLEMS THAT COULD LEAD TO 'A CONVULSIVE EPISODE WITH ACCOMPANIED LOSS OF CONSCIOUSNESS.' AN EXAMINATION OF THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM REVEALED THAT THE LEFT MAGNETO WAS INOPERATIVE DUE TO AN INTERNALLY SHORTED CONDENSER.
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: 3,000 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 533 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 5, 1982; 126 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,800 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-U (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: QV7 Kayenta AZ
- Destination: U22 Glen Canyon UT
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 16, 3,400 ft by 65 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 54°F (12°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.