Cessna 180A accident near Hawthorne, Nevada, July 6, 1983
On July 6, 1983 at about 8:55 pm local time, a Cessna 180A, registered N5328D, was substantially damaged in an accident near Hawthorne, Nevada (Hawthorne Municipal 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
- July 6, 1983 · about 8:55 pm local time
- Place
- Hawthorne, Nevada · Hawthorne Municipal · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 180A · all 180As on the register
- Registration
- N5328D · no longer on the register · serial 18050226
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT STATED THAT UPON ARRIVAL IN THE HAWTHORNE AREA, THE WINDS REPORTED BY UNICOM WERE EXTREMELY VARIABLE AT 27 KTS GUSTING TO 35 KTS. THE UNICOM OPERATOR RECOMMENDED RWY 28, THEN RWY 15 AND FINALLY SETTLED ON RWY 23 AS THE BEST FOR THE WIND CONDITION. EVERYTHING WAS NORMAL THRU THE WHEEL LANDING BUT AT THE TRANSITION TO A THREE POINT ATTITUDE THE WIND SHIFTED APRX 40 DEG TO THE LEFT AND IN AN EFFORT TO AVOID A GROUND LOOP HE WENT OFF THE RUNWAY TO THE RIGHT. JUST AFTER DEPARTING THE RWY, THE RIGHT MAIN WHEEL ENCOUNTERED SOFT SAND WHICH CAUSED THE AIRCRAFT TO NOSE OVER ON ITS BACK.
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: 303 hours in all; 157 in this make and model; 55 in the last 90 days; 32 in the last 30 days; 205 as pilot in command; 11 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,940 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 15, 1983; 36 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,650 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470K (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: DTA Delta UT at 5:00 pm
- Destination: CCR Concord CA
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 23, 2,815 ft by 170 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 200° at 27 knots
- Visibility: 40 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 91°F (33°C), dew point 23°F (-5°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:55 pm from HTH
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.