Cessna P21O accident near Goldfield, Nevada, August 19, 1983
On August 19, 1983 at about 6:45 pm local time, a Cessna P21O, registered N4818K, was substantially damaged in an accident near Goldfield, Nevada (Goldfield). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
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
- August 19, 1983 · about 6:45 pm local time
- Place
- Goldfield, Nevada · Goldfield · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna P21O
- Registration
- N4818K · no longer on the register · serial P21000334
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT COLLIDED WITH A CATTLE GUARD DURING AN ATTEMPTED TAKEOFF FROM A ROAD. THE PLT ELECTED THE ROAD RATHER THAN THE AIRSTRIP WHICH WAS MADE OF GRAVEL AND WAS WET AND MUDDY. HE STATED THAT THERE WAS ABOUT 4000 FT OF FLAT STRAIGHT ROAD AVAILABLE AND HE SET HIS ABORT DISTANCE AT ABOUT 3000 FT. THE ACFT TRAVELED 1700 FT BEFORE COLLIDING WITH THE CATTLE GUARD. WHEN THE COLLISION OCCURRED THE RIGHT MAIN GEAR COLLAPSED AND THE NOSE GEAR WAS BROKEN OFF.
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: airline transport pilot, flight instructor
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,465 hours in all; 56 in this make and model; 235 in the last 90 days; 2,280 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 888 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, June 9, 1983; 62 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,000 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TSIO-52OP (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Destination: LAS Las Vegas NV
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 170° at 5 knots, gusting 2
- Visibility: 8 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 2,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
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.