Cessna 172 accident near Wickenburg, Arizona, June 21, 1983
On June 21, 1983 at about 3:00 am local time, a Cessna 172, registered N736UH, was destroyed in an accident near Wickenburg, Arizona (Wickenburg airport). It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people had minor injuries. 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
- June 21, 1983 · about 3:00 am local time
- Place
- Wickenburg, Arizona · Wickenburg
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172 · all 172s on the register
- Registration
- N736UH · no longer on the register · serial 355858
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT LEFT THE RUNWAY DURING LANDING AND COLLIDED WITH A DITCH WHICH COLLAPSED THE RIGHT MAIN GEAR AND NOSE GEAR. THEPILOT NOTED DURING FINAL APPROACH THAT THE WINDSOCK DID NOT INDICATE A CROSS-WIND. THE LANDING WAS MADE WITH 10 DEGREES OF FLAPS. ACCORDING TO THE PILOT A GUST OF WIND RAISED THE LEFT WING DURING FLARE AND TOOK ACFT OFF THE RWY. THE REPORTED WIND WAS 210 DEGREES AT 10-15 KTS. THE LANDING WAS MADE ON RWY 23.
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: 1,060 hours in all; 100 in this make and model; 13 in the last 90 days; 1,060 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,089 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 17, 1983; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-360-K (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: L26 Hesperia CA at 1:05 am
- Destination: E25 Wickenburg AZ
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 23, 5,050 ft by 60 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 210° at 10 knots, gusting 15
- Visibility: 35 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 108°F (42°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
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.