Cessna 182P accident near Gunnison, Colorado, July 21, 1983
On July 21, 1983 at about 3:25 pm local time, a Cessna 182P, registered N86344, was substantially damaged in an accident near Gunnison, Colorado (Gunnison County airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved. 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 November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 21, 1983 · about 3:25 pm local time · cases in 1983
- Place
- Gunnison, Colorado · Gunnison County · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182P · all 182Ps on the register
- Registration
- N86344 · registry record · serial 18261926
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT COLLIDED WITH A DRAINAGE DITCH AND COLLAPSED THE NOSE GEAR DURING LANDING. THE PILOT STATED THE LANDING WAS NORMAL BUT DURING ROLLOUT HE ELECTED TO RETRACT THE FLAPS, TURN OFF THE CARBUERTOR HEAT AND OPEN THE COWL FLAPS. AT THISTIME THE ACFT VEERED LEFT AND THE PILOT SAID IN SPITE OF USE OF RUDDER AND/OR BRAKES HE WAS UNABLE TO REGAIN CONTROL. THERE WERE NO REPORTED WITNESSES TO THE ACCIDENT. UPON EXAMINATION OF BRAKES AND FLT CONTROLS NO MALFUNCTIONS WERE FOUNDAND THE PLT DID NOT REPORT ANY MALFUNCTIONS. THE LOCAL SHERIFF REPORTED TIRE SCUFF MARKS AT THE SCENE OF THE ACCIDENT. INVESTIGATION REVEALED THAT THE SCUFF MARK PATTERN INDICATED THAT THE ACFT WAS DRIFTING TO THE LEFT AT TOUCHDOWN. THE ACFT TRAVELED 344 FT AFTER LEAVING THE RWY BEFORE HITTING THE DITCH AND STOPPING. THE WINDS WERE REPORTEDAS CALM.
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: 249 hours in all; 249 in this make and model; 190 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,550 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 28, 1983; 149 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,950 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-R-258 (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Travis Afb Aero Club
The flight
- Departed from: MLF Milford UT at 12:59 pm
- Destination: GUC Gunnison CO
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 24, 7,198 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 30 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 25,000 ft
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 57°F (14°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:30 pm from GJT
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
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.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N86344 on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Cessna 182 Skylane 11,835 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Cessna 72,685 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Continental O-470-R-258 12,781 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Gunnison-Crested Butte Regional · nearest airport
- Milford Muni/Ben And Judy Briscoe Field · departed from
- Accidents and incidents in Colorado 2,860 since 1982 · 384 in the last ten years
- Colorado 7,484 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/DEN83LA171.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.