Cessna 182J accident near Deer Valley, Arizona, July 4, 1982
On July 4, 1982 at about 1:50 pm local time, a Cessna 182J, registered N3317F, was substantially damaged in an accident near Deer Valley, Arizona. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 4 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
- July 4, 1982 · about 1:50 pm local time
- Place
- Deer Valley, Arizona
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182J · all 182Js on the register
- Registration
- N3317F · registry record · serial 182-57317
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WHILE CLIMBING THROUGH ABOUT 6500 FT, A LOUD BANG WAS HEARD AND THE PILOT SAW THE ENGINE COWLING BUCKLE. ABOUT 10 SECONDS LATER, THE ENGINE CEASED TO OPERATE. THE PILOT DECLARED AN EMERGENCY AND LANDED ON AN UNCONTROLLED AIRPORT. AFTER LANDING, AN EXAMINATION OF THE AIRCRAFT REVEALED THAT THE PROPELLER HAD SEPARATED AND THERE WAS SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE FROM OBVIOUS ENGINE VIBRATION. THE PROPELLER ASSEMBLY WAS FOUND ON A HIGHWAY WITH ONE BLADE MISSING. A METALLURGICAL EXAMINATION REVEALED THAT THE BLADE HAD SEPARATED AFTER THE PROPELLER HUB, MCCAULEY PN TCP3EA-PC3, HAD FAILED FROM FATIGUE.
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: 437 hours in all; 77 in this make and model; 77 in the last 90 days; 385 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,786 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 37 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,800 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-R (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Deer Valley AZ at 6:40 am
- Destination: Grand Canyon AZ
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; clear
- Temperature: 176°F (80°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
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.