Cessna 182B accident near Benson, Arizona, March 26, 1983
On March 26, 1983, a Cessna 182B, registered N7293E, was substantially damaged in an accident near Benson, Arizona (Benson airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 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
- March 26, 1983
- Place
- Benson, Arizona · Benson
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182B · all 182Bs on the register
- Registration
- N7293E · no longer on the register · serial 52293
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT COLLIDED WITH A TREE FOLLOWING A POWER LOSS DURING A LOW PASS OVER A REMOTE OPEN AREA. THE PILOT AND HIS WIFE WERE ON A LOCAL PLEASURE FLT WHEN HE DECIDED TO MAKE A LOW PASS OVER AN AREA. DURING A 2ND PASS OVER THE SAME AREA WHEN HE APPLIED THE POWER TO CLIMB OUT THE ENGINE SURGED AND THEN DIED. DURING THE SUBSEQUENT FORCED LANDING THE PILOT WAS TURNING TO TRY AND STAY OVER THE OPEN AREA WHEN THE RIGHT WING CONTACTED A TREE AND THE ACFT CRASHED. POSTACCIDENT INVESTIGATION FOUND NO REASON FOR AN ENGINE MALFUNCTION. THE PILOT AND HIS WIFE WERE SERIOUSLY INJURED IN THE ACCIDENTS.
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: 725 hours in all; 22 in this make and model; 6 in the last 90 days; 640 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,576 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 8, 1982
- Maximum gross weight: 2,650 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 7E2 Benson AZ
- Flight plan: not recorded
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 270° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 40 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; scat at 7,000 ft
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.
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.