Cessna 172P accident near Chandler, Arizona, February 24, 1983
On February 24, 1983 at about 10:15 pm local time, a Cessna 172P, registered N54121, was substantially damaged in an accident near Chandler, Arizona (Steliar airport). It was a personal 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 24, 1983 · about 10:15 pm local time
- Place
- Chandler, Arizona · Steliar · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172P · all 172Ps on the register
- Registration
- N54121 · no longer on the register · serial 17274885
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT LEFT THE RUNWAY DURING LANDING AND ENTERED A PLOWED FIELD WHERE A WING MADE CONTACT WITH THE FURROWS. THE PILOT STATED THAT BECAUSE OF THE CROSSWIND HE USED ONLY 10 DEGREES OF FLAPS. A GUST OF WIND CAUGHT THE ACFT AS HE FLAREDFOR LANDING AND PUSHED THE ACFT SIDEWAYS SO IT LANDED IN A CRAB. THE ACFT THEN SWERVED OFF THE RUNWAY INTO THE PLOWED AREA AND WAS DAMAGED BEFORE STOPPING.
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: 246 hours in all; 102 in this make and model; 34 in the last 90 days; 187 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 468 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded, February 18, 1983; 8 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,400 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-D2J (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Stellar Executive Air
The flight
- Departed from: DVT Phoenix AZ at 2:45 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 17, 4,000 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 190° at 17 knots, gusting 25
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 5,000 ft
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:50 pm from PHX, 10 miles away
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.
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.