Cessna 172P accident near Dillon, Michigan, October 23, 1982
On October 23, 1982 at about 2:00 pm local time, a Cessna 172P, registered N4AM, was destroyed in an accident near Dillon, Michigan. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed, 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries. 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
- October 23, 1982 · about 2:00 pm local time
- Place
- Dillon, Michigan
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed, 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172P · all 172Ps on the register
- Registration
- N4AM · registry record · serial 17274427
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT AND THREE PASSENGERS DEPARTED DILLON, MT AT ABOUT 0740 MDT TO SCOUT FOR ELK IN PREPARATION FOR HUNTING THE NEXT DAY. ACCORDING TO A PASSENGER, THEY FLEW DIRECTLY TO A MOUNTAIN AREA ABOUT 30 MILES AWAY WHERE THEY SPOTTED SOME ELK. HE SAID THAT WHILE THEY WERE TURNING AROUND FOR A BETTER VIEW, THE GROUND SUDDENLY CAME UP FAST, AND THEY CRASHED. THE AIRCRAFT IMPACTED A 25 DEG RISING SLOPE AT AN ELEVATON OF ABOUT 7400 FT MSL. THREE OF THE FOUR OCCUPANTS DID NOT HAVE THEIR SEAT BELTS FASTENED.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,499 hours in all; 821 in this make and model; 77 in the last 90 days; 1,336 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,009 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 82 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,150 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Dillon MI at 7:45 am
- Destination: Dillon MI
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: dawn
- Wind: from 240° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 6,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 117°F (47°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 | 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.