Cessna 172RG accident near Wenden, Arizona, February 15, 1983
On February 15, 1983 at about 1:45 am local time, a Cessna 172RG, registered N9645B, was substantially damaged in an accident near Wenden, Arizona (Alder Ranch airport). It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. 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 15, 1983 · about 1:45 am local time
- Place
- Wenden, Arizona · Alder Ranch · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172RG · all 172RGs on the register
- Registration
- N9645B · no longer on the register · serial 172RG0094L
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT DRIFTED OFF THE RUNWAY INTO A PLOWED AREA OF A PRIVATE AIRSTRIP DURING LANDING AND NOSED OVER. THE PRIVATE PILOT REPORTED THAT AS HE BEGAN TO FLARE THE ACFT FOR LANDING TO THE WEST A GUST OF WIND FROM THE NORTH CAUSED THE ACFT TO DRIFT SOUTHWARD. THE ACFT TOUCHED DOWN IN A PLOWED AREA ADJACENT TO THE AIRSTRIP AND NOSED OVER. THE PILOT REPORTED THE WINDS TO BE FROM THE NORTH AT 20 KTS GUSTING TO 25 KTS.
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: 7,004 hours in all; 7 in this make and model; 77 in the last 90 days; 6,875 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 677 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 26, 1982; 92 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,200 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Mesa AZ
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 26, 3,000 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Wind: from 350° at 20 knots, gusting 25
- Visibility: 25 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 61°F (16°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.
Other NTSB records under N9645B 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.