Cessna 172 accident near Navajo Dam, New Mexico, February 13, 1982
On February 13, 1982 at about 10:30 pm local time, a Cessna 172, registered N8862B, was substantially damaged in an accident near Navajo Dam, New Mexico (Navajo State Park airport). It was a personal 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
- February 13, 1982 · about 10:30 pm local time
- Place
- Navajo Dam, New Mexico · Navajo State Park · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172 · all 172s on the register
- Registration
- N8862B · no longer on the register · serial 36562
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT LANDED AT AN UNATTENDED AIRPORT ON WHAT HE THOUGHT TO BE APPROXIMATELY 2 INCHES OF SNOW. IT TURNED OUT TO BE 8 INCHES AND THE AIRCRAFT TURNED OVER ON LANDING.
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: 600 hours in all; 270 in this make and model; 25 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,524 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 51 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,200 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-300-A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Durango CO at 3:10 pm
- Destination: Navajo Dam NM
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 24, 5,000 ft by 60 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 75 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; scat at 25,000 ft
- Temperature: 106°F (41°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:44 pm from DRO, 20 miles away
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.