Cessna 182P accident near Sunflower, Arizona, January 17, 1982
On January 17, 1982 at about 7:00 pm local time, a Cessna 182P, registered N7383S, was destroyed in an accident near Sunflower, Arizona. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. 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
- January 17, 1982 · about 7:00 pm local time
- Place
- Sunflower, Arizona · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182P · all 182Ps on the register
- Registration
- N7383S · no longer on the register · serial 18265174
- 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 REPORTED THAT HE HAD THROTTLED BACK BELOW CRUISE POWER TO SURVEY ONE OF HIS BUSINESS LOCATIONS. REPORTEDLY, HE MOVED THE THROTTLE FORWARD TO CLIMB, BUT WAS UNABLE TO GET FULL POWER. HE STATED THAT HE GRADUALLY LOST POWER AND AIRSPEED, AND EVENTUALLY, HE WAS UNABLE TO MANEUVER DUE TO THE PROXIMITY OF THE GROUND AND LOW AIRSPEED. THE AIRCRAFT STRUCK TREES AND CRASHED IN A WOODED, MOUNTAINOUS AREA AT AN ELEVATION OF ABOUT 6000 FT MSL. THE TEMPERATURE WAS ABOUT 55 DEGREES. THE PILOT SAID HE HAD EXTENSIVE EXPERIENCE FLYING IN MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN AND THAT HE WOULD HAVE RECOGNIZED CARBURETOR ICE IF HE HAD ENCOUNTERED IT. HE STATED FURTHER THAT HE HAD THE CARBURETOR HEAT ON WHILE HE WAS MANEUVERING FOR THE EMERGENCY LANDING. THE ENGINE RAN NORMALLY DURING AN OPERATIONAL CHECK AFTER A FEW DAMAGED PARTS WERE REPLACED.
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; single-engine sea
- Flight time: 705 hours in all; 553 in this make and model; 8 in the last 90 days; 658 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 733 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 37 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,950 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470S (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Falcon Fld AZ at 11:25 am
- Destination: Falcon Fld AZ
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; clear
- Temperature: 131°F (55°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.