Cessna 182F accident near Burke, South Dakota, October 20, 1983
On October 20, 1983 at about 8:00 pm local time, a Cessna 182F, registered N3375U, was destroyed in an accident near Burke, South Dakota. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. 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
- October 20, 1983 · about 8:00 pm local time
- Place
- Burke, South Dakota · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182F · all 182Fs on the register
- Registration
- N3375U · no longer on the register · serial 18254775
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
PRIOR TO THE FLT, THE PLT OBTAINED A WX BRIEFING & WAS ADVISED THAT VFR FLT WAS NOT RECOMMENDED. AT THE END OF THE BRIEFING, HE INDICATED HE WOULD 'BE GETTING BACK WITH' THE FSS SPECIALIST. THE PLT THEN TOLD THE ARPT MANAGER THAT HE WOULD 'GO UP & TAKE A LOOK AT THE WX', & IF IT WAS TOO BAD, HE WOULD RETURN & LAND. WITNESSES HEARD & SAW THE ACFT NEAR THE CRASH SITE. THEY REPORTED THAT IT FLEW OVER IN AN EASTERLY DIRECTION, THEN TURNED BACK TO THE WEST. SHORTLY AFTER REVERSING DIRECTION, THE ACFT STRUCK A GUY WIRE TO A TV TOWER, APRX 180 FT AGL, THEN IT CRASHED TO THE GROUND. A DEPUTY SHERIFF ESTIMATED THE GROUND LEVEL VISIBILITY WAS BETWEEN 1/8 & 1/4 MI WITH FOG & THE CEILING WAS 150 TO 200 FT. THE PLT HAD LOGGED ONLY 2.9 HRS INSTRUMENT TIME IN THE PREVIOUS 6 MOS.
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: 777 hours in all; 109 in this make and model; 54 in the last 90 days; 626 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection
- Maximum gross weight: 2,800 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-R (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 9D1 Gregory SD
- Destination: HUF Terre Haute IN
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Temperature: 50°F (10°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.