Cessna 182 accident near Grand Junction, Colorado, September 2, 1983
On September 2, 1983, a Cessna 182, registered N8739T, was substantially damaged in an accident near Grand Junction, Colorado. It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 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 October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 2, 1983
- Place
- Grand Junction, Colorado · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182 · all 182s on the register
- Registration
- N8739T · registry record · serial 52639
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE CFI STATED THAT WHILE PRACTICING EMERGENCY LANDINGS, SMOKE STARTED BILLOWING INTO THE COCKPIT. SHE ALSO NOTICED A LOT OF HEAT NEAR HER LEGS. THINKING THAT THERE MIGHT BE A FIRE ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE FIREWALL, THE CFI DECIDED TO LAND IN A CORN FIELD. THE CORN WAS 12 FT TALL & THE ACFT NOSED OVER ON ITS BACK. THE ONLY EVIDENCE OF SMOKE, HEAT OR FIRE WAS THAT THE WIRE LEAD FROM THE ELECTRICAL BUS BAR TO A RADIO WAS BURNED & MELTED AT THE END, AS WAS THE JUMPER WIRE BETWEEN THE BUS BARS. A SHOPOWNER AT THE ARPT STATED THAT THE JUMPER WIRE WAS UNDERSIZED & BECAME OVERLOADED CAUSING THE INSULATION TO BURN. THE CABIN HEATER VALVE WAS FOUND POSITIONED TO THE ON POSITION WHICH WOULD ALLOW ENGINE HEAT TO ENTER THE COCKPIT NEAR THE FLOOR LEVEL.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 878 hours in all; 45 in this make and model; 332 in the last 90 days; 739 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 243 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 4, 1983; 20 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,650 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-L (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 040° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 60 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 12,000 ft; scat at 8,000 ft
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 55°F (13°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.