Cessna 182A accident near South Dos Palos, California, August 29, 1983
On August 29, 1983 at about 2:15 am local time, a Cessna 182A, registered N6055B, was substantially damaged in an accident near South Dos Palos, California. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person 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
- August 29, 1983 · about 2:15 am local time
- Place
- South Dos Palos, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182A · all 182As on the register
- Registration
- N6055B · no longer on the register · serial 34055
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WHILE DESCENDING TOWARD THE ARPT, AFTER 4 PARACHUTE JUMPERS HAD EGRESSED, THE ENG LOSS ALL POWER. THERE WAS INSUFFICIENT ALT TO GLIDE TO THE ARPT, SO THE PLT ELECTED TO LAND IN AN AREA WITH RICE PADDIES. AS THE ACFT TOUCHED DOWN, IT ENCOUNTERED A DIKE & NOSED OVER, AN EXAM REVEALED THAT SOME FUEL WAS REMAINING IN THE FUEL TANKS. ABOUT 1 PINT OF FUEL WAS DRAINED FROM THE FIRE WALL FUEL STRAINER. NO WATER WAS FOUND IN THE FUEL SYS. APRX 25 MI SOUTH AT MERCED, CA, THE TEMP & DEW POINT WERE 87 & 50 DEG, RESPECTIVE. ACCORDING TO ICG PROBABILITY CHARTS, CARB ICE WOULD HAVE BEEN POSSIBLE AT GLIDE POWER; HOWEVER, ICING WAS NOT VERIFIED.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 2,650 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-R (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Q38 South Dos Palos CA at 1:30 am
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 325° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 30 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 18,000 ft
- Temperature: 88°F (31°C), dew point 50°F (10°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:55 am from MER, 25 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.