Cessna P210N accident near 6 Nm North Of S, Arizona, February 8, 1982
On February 8, 1982 at about 3:22 am local time, a Cessna P210N, registered N731NQ, was destroyed in an accident near 6 Nm North Of S, Arizona. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). 4 people were killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
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
- February 8, 1982 · about 3:22 am local time
- Place
- 6 Nm North Of S, Arizona · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 4 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna P210N · all P210Ns on the register
- Registration
- N731NQ · no longer on the register · serial P21000508
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT WAS ADVISED THAT VFR TO FLAGSTAFF WAS NOT RECOMMENDED. HE ADVISED THE BRIEFER THAT HE HAD JUST RECENTLY FLOWN FROM SEDONA AND KNEW HE COULD RETURN VFR. AT ABOUT 1938 MST, THE PLANE DEPARTED PHOENIX WITH NO FLIGHT PLAN. WHILE EN ROUTE, THE PILOT REPORTED FLYING AT 7500 FT BELOW AN OVERCAST OF UNKNOWN ALTITUDE. THE WEATHER AT FLAGSTAFF WAS 800 FT OVERCAST, VISIBILITY 3 MILES WITH LIGHT SNOW SHOWERS AND FOG. ABOUT 6 MILES NORTH OF SEDONA, THE PLANE STRUCK TREES AND CRASHED AT AN ELEVATION OF ABOUT 7000 FT. THE ACCIDENT SITE WAS LOCATED ON SNOW COVERED, WOODED TERRAIN AT THE EDGE OF A PLATEAU BETWEEN SEDONA AND FLAGSTAFF.
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; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 10,000 hours in all; 68 in the last 90 days; 9 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 131 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 90 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,000 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TSIO-520P (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Flagstaff Aviation, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: PHX Phoenix AZ at 7:40 pm
- Destination: FLG Flagstaff AZ
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 220° at 11 knots
- Visibility: 3 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 800 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 91°F (33°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:43 pm from FLG, 17 miles away
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.