Douglas A26C accident near Phoenix, Arizona, January 4, 1983
On January 4, 1983 at about 8:25 pm local time, a Douglas A26C, registered N25GH, was substantially damaged in an accident near Phoenix, Arizona (Phx Sky Harbor airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91, subpart F). No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved. The weather was conditions the NTSB did not record.
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 4, 1983 · about 8:25 pm local time
- Place
- Phoenix, Arizona · Phx Sky Harbor
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- conditions the NTSB did not record
- Aircraft
- Douglas A26C · all A26Cs on the register
- Registration
- N25GH · registry record · serial 6934
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91, subpart F)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE LEFT GEAR RETRACTED. THE MODIFICATION OF THE ACFT FOR EXPERIMENTAL USE REDUCED ACCESS TO THE RUDDER TRIM CONTROL WITH THE GEAR SELECTOR IN THE DOWN POSITION. WITH THE SELECTOR IN NEUTRAL, IT WAS POSSIBLE TO APPLY LOADS TO THE GEAR WHICH REMOVED THE GEAR FROM THE POSITIVE DOWN & LOCKED POSITION. POSITIONING THE SELECTOR TO THE DOWN POSITION EXERTS 1500 PSI TOWARD THE DOWN POSITION. SUBSEQUENT TO THE ACCIDENT, THE OPERATOR RELOCATED THE RUDDER TRIM KNOB TO ALLOW RAPID 360 DEG OPERATION OF THE TRIM HANDLE WITH NO INTERFERENCE WHEN THE LANDING GEAR HANDLE IS IN THE DOWN POSITION.
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; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 8,500 hours in all; 100 in this make and model; 100 in the last 90 days; 5 in the last 30 days; 7,260 as pilot in command; 1,000 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,751 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded, November 24, 1982; 12 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 32,000 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W R-2800 CB 16 (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Garrett Turbine Engine CO.
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.
Other NTSB records under N25GH the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.