Cessna 172RG accident near Monticello, Arkansas, October 25, 1983
On October 25, 1983 at about 10:30 pm local time, a Cessna 172RG, registered N5092U, was substantially damaged in an accident near Monticello, Arkansas (Monticello airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 3 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
- October 25, 1983 · about 10:30 pm local time
- Place
- Monticello, Arkansas · Monticello · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172RG · all 172RGs on the register
- Registration
- N5092U · registry record · serial 172RG0226
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING FLT, THE PLT DETECTED SMOKE IN THE CABIN. THINKING THAT AN ELECTRICAL MALFUNCTION WAS THE SOURCE, HE SECURED THE ELECTRICAL MASTER SWITCH & USED THE BATTERY. A PRECAUTIONARY LANDING WAS MADE AT MONTICELLO, AR. DURING THE LANDING, THE RIGHT MAIN GEAR COLLAPSED SHORTLY AFTER TOUCHDOWN. AN INVESTIGATION REVEALED THAT THE ENG & ELECTRICAL SYS OPERATED NORMALLY. THE SOURCE OF THE SMOKE WAS FROM ENG OIL LEAKING ON A HOT EXHAUST STACK.
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: 588 hours in all; 70 in this make and model; 122 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,463 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, October 11, 1983; 10 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,650 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming O-350-F1A6 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: HOT Hot Springs AR at 9:30 pm
- Destination: Mobile AL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 3, 3,820 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.