Cessna 172N accident near Grand Canyon, Arizona, February 20, 1982
On February 20, 1982 at about 10:02 pm local time, a Cessna 172N, registered N529CA, was substantially damaged in an accident near Grand Canyon, Arizona (Grand Canyon 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).
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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 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 20, 1982 · about 10:02 pm local time
- Place
- Grand Canyon, Arizona · Grand Canyon · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172N · all 172Ns on the register
- Registration
- N529CA · registry record · serial 17269104
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE AIRCRAFT WAS OBSERVED TO TAXI AND TAKEOFF WITH FULL FLAPS AND A DENSITY ALTITUDE OF ABOUT 7700 FEET. ACCORDING TO A WITNESS ABOARD THE AIRCRAFT THE STALL WARNING WAS GOING ON AND OFF FROM SHORTLY AFTER TAKEOFF UNTIL LANDING. AT ABOUT 150 FEET AGL THE FLAPS WERE RETRACTED AND THE AIRCRAFT BEGAN TO SETTLE. THE PILOT STATED THAT HE STARTED WITH A LEAN MIXTURE AND ATTEMPTED TO RELEAN. THE MIXTURE WAS NEVER ENRICHED. DURING LANDING ROLL ON A SMALL HIGHWAY THE PILOT STATED THAT HE WAS FORCED INTO A DITCH WHEN TRYING TO AVOID A CAR.
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: 410 hours in all; 9 in this make and model; 55 in the last 90 days; 142 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,328 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 357 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-H2AD (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Fuller Aviation
The flight
- Departed from: Grand Canyon AZ at 3:00 pm
- Destination: GYR Goodyear AZ
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0, 9,000 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 030° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 20,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 126°F (52°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:45 pm from GCN, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number LAX82DA081.