Cessna TR182RG accident near Milan, New Mexico, October 23, 1984
On October 23, 1984 at about 12:00 pm local time, a Cessna TR182RG, registered N5543T, was destroyed in an accident near Milan, New Mexico. It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was 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 23, 1984 · about 12:00 pm local time
- Place
- Milan, New Mexico · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna TR182RG · all TR182RGs on the register
- Registration
- N5543T · registry record · serial R18201892
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT DEPARTED FARMINGTON,NM IN THE EARLY MORNING DARKNESS EN ROUTE TO GRANTS, NM. THE AIRPLANE STRUCK THE ROCK FACE OF A 8399-FOOT MESA AT ABOUT THE 8150-FOOT LEVEL. ACCORDING TO ONE LOCAL RESIDENT, WEATHER AT THAT TIME CONSISTED OF A LOW CEILING, POOR VISIBILITY AND MODERATE SNOWFALL. THE INTRUMENT-RATED PILOT OBTAINED A WEATHER BRIEFINGBUT DID NOT FILE A FLIGHT PLAN.
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: 2,685 hours in all; 122 in this make and model; 55 in the last 90 days; 9 in the last 30 days; 2,480 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,880 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 13, 1984; 718 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,100 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming O-540-L3C5D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: FMN Farmington NM at 11:30 am
- Destination: GNT Grants NM
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: dawn
- Visibility: 1 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 400 ft; scat at 1,000 ft
- Temperature: 34°F (1°C), dew point 30°F (-1°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:49 am from GUP
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.