Cessna 182P accident near Willcox, Arizona, March 10, 1984
On March 10, 1984, a Cessna 182P, registered N52488, was destroyed in an accident near Willcox, Arizona (Motes Airstrip airport). 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
- March 10, 1984
- Place
- Willcox, Arizona · Motes Airstrip · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182P · all 182Ps on the register
- Registration
- N52488 · no longer on the register · serial 18262640
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AN UNKNOWN PERSON ATTEMPTED TO STEAL THE ACFT. THE ACFT WAS TAXIED OUT FROM ITS TIE-DOWN SPOT & ACCELERATED DOWN THE MILE-LONG DIRT RWY. IT FAILED TO BECOME AIRBORNE, IMPACTED 5 FENCES, A POWER POLE & CAME TO REST INVERTED. THE INJURY INDEX IS PRESUMED.
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
- Medical certificate: Unknown
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,345 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 20, 1983; 107 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,950 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-R25A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 26, 5,280 ft by 80 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: not reported
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.