Cessna 320D accident near Chandler, Arizona, May 27, 1982
On May 27, 1982 at about 7:05 pm local time, a Cessna 320D, registered N4167T, was destroyed in an accident near Chandler, Arizona (Stellar Airpark airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 8 people were killed. 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 27, 1982 · about 7:05 pm local time
- Place
- Chandler, Arizona · Stellar Airpark · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 8 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 320D · all 320Ds on the register
- Registration
- N4167T · no longer on the register · serial 320D0067
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
SHORTLY AFTER THE AIRCRAFT TOOK OFF FROM STELLAR AIRPARK, SEVERAL WITNESSES SAW IT FLYING NORTHBOUND WITH SMOKE TRAILING FROM THE LEFT ENGINE. ONE WITNESS, A STUDENT PILOT, STATED THAT THE GEAR WAS DOWN AND THE PLANE WAS LOWER THAN NORMAL, ABOUT 500 FT AGL. ANOTHER WITNESS, AN AIRLINE CAPTAIN, STATED THAT THE LEFT ENGINE WAS "PULLED BACK" AND WIND MILLING. AT FIRST HE THOUGHT IT WAS ON A TRAINING FLIGHT. THE AIRCRAFT WAS THEN OBSERVED TO START A RIGHT TURN, THEN ROLL TO THE LEFT, CRASHED AND BURNED ABOUT 1.3 MI NORTH OF THE APPROACH END OF RUNWAY 17. A DISASSEMBLY INSPECTION OF THE LEFT ENGINE REVEALED DAMAGE TO THE #5 PISTON AND CYLINDER. A HOLE HAD BURNED THROUGH THE TOP FORWARD EDGE OF THE PISTON AND EXTENDED BELOW THE OIL CONTROL RING. THE TOP COMPRESSION RING WAS FRACTURED AND THE CYLINDER WALL WAS SCORED. ALSO, THE PISTON DOME WAS DEFORMED AND CRACKED. SMALL METAL PARTICLES WERE FOUND IN THE OIL FILTER ELEMENT. THE ENGINE WAS OTHERWISE UNREMARKABLE. ESTIMATED APRX 100 LBS OVER MAX WT LIMIT.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land
- Flight time: 710 hours in all; 120 in this make and model; 20 in the last 90 days; 590 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (invalid medical for flight)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 631 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 70 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 5,200 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TSIO-520 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: C Chandler AZ
- Destination: C Yuma AZ
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 17, 3,980 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 100° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 35 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 185°F (85°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 7 |
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.