Piper PA-18-150 accident near Chandler, Arizona, May 1, 1982
On May 1, 1982 at about 4:35 pm local time, a Piper PA-18-150, registered N82016, was substantially damaged in an accident near Chandler, Arizona (Steller Airpark 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
- May 1, 1982 · about 4:35 pm local time
- Place
- Chandler, Arizona · Steller Airpark · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-18-150 · all PA-18-150s on the register
- Registration
- N82016 · registry record · serial 18-7909052
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING LANDING ROLL THE PILOT STATED THAT A GUST OF WIND OR A DUST DEVIL PICKED UP THE LEFT WING AND TURNED THE AIRCRAFT TO THE RIGHT. THE AIRCRAFT DEPARTED THE RUNWAY AND WENT INTO A SMALL PLOWED FIELD COMING TO REST IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION OF THE RUNWAY.
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: 409 hours in all; 2 in this make and model; 8 in the last 90 days; 369 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 550 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 22 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,750 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Mesa Aviation
The flight
- Departed from: L07 Mesa AZ at 9:30 am
- Destination: GWO Greenwood MS
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 17, 3,980 ft by 70 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 090° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 40 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; scat at 14,000 ft
- Temperature: 183°F (84°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:52 am from PHX, 12 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.
Other NTSB records under N82016 the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.