Cessna 188 accident near Casa Grande, Arizona, August 31, 1982
On August 31, 1982 at about 3:30 am local time, a Cessna 188, registered N1562M, was substantially damaged in an accident near Casa Grande, Arizona (Private Strip airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under agricultural flying rules (Part 137). No one was hurt; 1 person was 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
- August 31, 1982 · about 3:30 am local time
- Place
- Casa Grande, Arizona · Private Strip
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 188 · all 188s on the register
- Registration
- N1562M · no longer on the register · serial 18800662
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT INITIATED HIS TAKEOFF WITH A LIGHT QUARTERING TAIL WIND FROM A 2300 FT RUNWAY THAT WAS COVERED WITH TALL GRASS. THE TEMPERATURE AND ELEVATION WERE 95 DEG AND ABOUT 1500 FT, RESPECTIVELY. HE REPORTED THAT THE PLANE ACCELERATED SLOWLY, BUT WAS ABOUT NORMAL FOR THE MAKE AND MODEL. HE STATED THAT AFTER BECOMING AIRBORNE AT THE END OF THE RUNWAY, THE PLANE CLIMBED OUT OF GROUND EFFECT, THEN BEGAN TO SETTLE. REPORTEDLY, HE HIT THE DUMP HANDLE WHEN A STALL BECAME IMMINENT, BUT THE GATE STUCK SHUT AND DID NOT OPEN UNTIL AFTER THE PLANE MUSHED INTO A COTTON FIELD. THE PLANE WAS DAMAGED AFTER IT STRUCK THE GROUND AND RAN THROUGH ABOUT 500 FT OF COTTON.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 17,000 hours in all; 1,200 in this make and model; 60 in the last 90 days; 17,000 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,630 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 60 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,300 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520-D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Casa Grande AZ at 8:30 pm
- Destination: Casa Grande AZ
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 18, 2,300 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Wind: from 045° at 2 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; clear
- Temperature: 203°F (95°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.