Cessna 182 accident near Littlefield, Arizona, March 19, 1983
On March 19, 1983 at about 11:30 pm local time, a Cessna 182, registered N2646G, was destroyed in an accident near Littlefield, Arizona. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed and 1 person was 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 November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 19, 1983 · about 11:30 pm local time · cases in 1983
- Place
- Littlefield, Arizona · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed and 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182 · all 182s on the register
- Registration
- N2646G · registry record · serial 41946
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PASSENGER STATED THE FLT WAS BEHIND SCHEDULE, AND AN AIRPORT THOUGHT TO BE TUWEEP WAS SPOTTED. THEY DESCENDED TO 150-200 FT TO READ A SIGN AND WHEN THE PLT TRIED TO CLIMB IN A LEFT TURN HE COLLIDED WITH RISING TERRAIN. THE ACCIDENT LOCATION IS ABOUT 8 MILES WEST OF THE DESTINATION ARPT. NO ABNORMAL CONDITIONS WERE FOUND IN A POST ACCIDENT EXAMINATIONOF THE ENGINE.
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: 60 hours in all; 10 in this make and model; 10 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,790 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 28, 1983; 20 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,650 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-L (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: SEZ Sedona AZ at 9:00 pm
- Destination: L50 Tuweep AZ
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Observation at 8:00 pm from PHX, 180 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| 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.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N2646G on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Cessna 182 Skylane 11,833 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Cessna 72,678 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Continental O-470-L 19 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Sedona Airport · departed from
- Accidents and incidents in Arizona 2,985 since 1982 · 466 in the last ten years
- Arizona 8,435 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/LAX83FA396.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.