Cessna 182P accident near Glen Canyon, Utah, September 18, 1984
On September 18, 1984 at about 3:30 am local time, a Cessna 182P, registered N1939M, was destroyed in an accident near Glen Canyon, Utah. It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. 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 18, 1984 · about 3:30 am local time
- Place
- Glen Canyon, Utah · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182P · all 182Ps on the register
- Registration
- N1939M · no longer on the register · serial 182-64492
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT CRASHED INTO THE 10388 FT HIGH NAVAHO MOUNTAIN AT ABOUT THE 9800 FT LEVEL. REPORTEDLY THERE WAS NO MOON THAT EVENING. THE PLT HAD DEPARTED HAYWARD, CA AT 1351 MDT & WAS ENROUTE TO FARMINGTON, NM. THE ACFT CRASHED AT 2027 MDT. INVESTIGATION REVEALED THE 67 YR OLD PILOT WAS SAID TO BE OVERWEIGHT, A HEAVY SMOKER, WAS UNDER GREAT PRESSURE, EASILY BECAME UPSET & HAD NEVER FLOWN THIS ROUTE BEFORE. THE FORMER WWII BOMBER PLT ALSO HAD LIMITED NIGHT & INSTRUMENT EXPERIENCE. THE PLT SEEMED CONFUSED DURING RADIO COMMUNICATIONS. THERE WERE SCATTERED & ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS IN THE AREA.
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
- Flight time: 49,884 hours in all; 484 in this make and model; 1 in the last 90 days; 919 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 16,564 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, July 23, 1984; 674 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,950 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Teledyne Cont O-470-S (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SGU St George UT at 3:27 am
- Destination: FMN Farmington NM
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 090° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 6,000 ft
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 45°F (7°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:51 am from CDC, 140 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.