Cessna 182C accident near Eloy, Arizona, February 27, 1982
On February 27, 1982 at about 2:30 am local time, a Cessna 182C, registered N8588T, was substantially damaged in an accident near Eloy, 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
- February 27, 1982 · about 2:30 am local time
- Place
- Eloy, Arizona
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182C · all 182Cs on the register
- Registration
- N8588T · registry record · serial 52488
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE AIRCRAFT CRASHED NEAR THE END OF A RUNWAY ON A DARK NIGHT. THE PILOT STATED TO THE POLICE THAT HE HAD RUN OUT OF FUEL. THE POLICE FOUND WEAPONS, DRUGS, AND LIQUOR IN THE PILOT'S POSSESSION. AN ESTIMATED 3 GALLONS OF FUEL WAS FOUND IN EACH TANK. ACCORDING TO THE TYPE CERTIFICATE FOR THIS AIRCRAFT, EACH REQUIRES OVER 5 GALLONS OF FUEL FOR SAFE OPERATION.
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: 89 hours in all; 50 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,800 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 150 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,800 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Hawthorne CA at 3:40 pm
- Destination: Tuscon AZ
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 2, 3,900 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 060° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; clear
- Temperature: 145°F (63°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.