Cessna 182 accident near Huntsville, Utah, March 24, 1983
On March 24, 1983 at about 5:30 am local time, a Cessna 182, registered N9377X, was substantially damaged in an accident near Huntsville, Utah. It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were seriously injured. 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 24, 1983 · about 5:30 am local time
- Place
- Huntsville, Utah · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were seriously injured.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182 · all 182s on the register
- Registration
- N9377X · no longer on the register · serial 18253777
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE AFCT COLLIDED WITH A TREE AND CRASHED DURING A GO-AROUND. THE WEATHER WAS IMC AND THE PILOT AND PASSENGER WERE SERIOUSLY INJURED. THE PILOT RECEIVED A WEATHER BRIEFING AND WAS TOLD THAT VFR FLT, ON HIS INTENDED ROUTE, WAS NOT RECOMMENDED DUE TO LOW CEILINGS AND SNOW SHOWERS. THE PILOT WAS NOT INSTRUMENT RATED. HE INITIATED THE FLT ANYWAY AND ENCOUNTERED THE WEATHER IN A VALLEY NEAR HUNTSVILLE. HUNTSVILLE IS SURROUNDED BY MOUNTAINS. THE PILOT CIRCLED THE HUNTSVILLE AREA FOR ABOUT 1 HOUR WHILE TALKING TO FSS AND THE SHERIFFS DEPT. THE WEATHER WAS DETERIORATING AND THE PILOTWAS TRYING TO LOCATE THE CAR LIGHTS ON THE LANDING STRIP SET UP BY THE SHERIFF. THE PILOT FOUND THE STRIP AND MADE 3 ATTEMPTS TO LAND. ON THE 3RD ATTEMPT HE TOUCHED DOWN. THE ACFT STARTED SWERVING ACCORDING TO THE PILOT AND HE STARTED A GO-AROUND. THE ACFT WING HIT A LARGE TREE AND CRASHED 99 FT BEYOND THE TREE.
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: 488 hours in all; 70 in this make and model; 11 in the last 90 days; 1 in the last 30 days; 400 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,406 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 16, 1982; 226 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,800 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-R25 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: EVW Evanston WY at 3:00 am
- Destination: SLC Salt Lake City UT
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 5, 2,500 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 270° at 17 knots
- Visibility: 3 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 400 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 37°F (3°C), dew point 34°F (1°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:54 am from OGD, 18 miles away
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.
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.