Cessna T182RG accident near Bridgeport, California, December 10, 1982
On December 10, 1982 at about 10:35 pm local time, a Cessna T182RG, registered N6166S, was destroyed in an accident near Bridgeport, California. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed and 1 person was seriously injured. 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
- December 10, 1982 · about 10:35 pm local time
- Place
- Bridgeport, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed and 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna T182RG · all T182RGs on the register
- Registration
- N6166S · registry record · serial T218201634
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT HIT A SMALL PINE TREE LOCATED ON THE TOP OF THE RIDGE, THEN SLID DOWN A SNOW COVERED SLOPE TO THE BOTTOM OF A RAVINE WHERE IT CAUGHT FIRE & BURNED. THE PAX WAS FATALLY BURNED & THE PLT RECEIVED A SEVERE HEAD CONCUSSION. THE PROP WAS STOPPED AT THE TIME OF IMPACT & THE FLAPS WERE DOWN. THE PLT REPORTED HE WAS KNOCKED UNCONSCIOUS & CAME TO SECONDS BEFORE IMPACT. AT THAT TIME THE PAX WAS FLYING THE ACFT. LOCAL AUTHORITIES ARE INVESTIGATING ALLEGED FOUL PLAY.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,776 hours in all; 12 in this make and model; 35 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 90 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 5 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,100 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming O-540-L3C5D (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: FCH Fresno CA at 2:00 pm
- Destination: RNO Reno NV
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 315° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.