Cessna 172N accident near Casa Grande, Arizona, December 7, 1982
On December 7, 1982 at about 1:00 am local time, a Cessna 172N, registered N734MU, was destroyed in an accident near Casa Grande, Arizona (Casa Grande Municipal airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 3 people were seriously injured. 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
- December 7, 1982 · about 1:00 am local time
- Place
- Casa Grande, Arizona · Casa Grande Municipal
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 3 people were seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172N · all 172Ns on the register
- Registration
- N734MU · no longer on the register · serial 172 68967
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE AIRCRAFT FLEW INTO WIRES 34 FEET ABOVE GROUND 800 FEET FROM THE RUNWAY AT DUSK. THE WIRES WERE MARKED AND BOTH THE STUDENT PILOT AND THE INSTRUCTOR WERE AWARE OF THEM. A NO FLAP LANDING WAS BEING ATTEMPTED. THIS WAS ONE OF SEVERAL LANDINGS MADE. ALL LIGHTS ON AIRPORT AND AIRCRAFT WERE WORKING.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 478 hours in all; 300 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,931 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 34 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-H2AD (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: CZG Casa Grande AZ at 5:30 pm
- Destination: CZG Casa Grande AZ
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 23, 3,800 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 230° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 45 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; clear
- Temperature: 149°F (65°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:47 pm from PHX, 32 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 | |||
| Passengers | 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.