Cessna 182P accident near Gila Bend, Arizona, March 23, 1985
On March 23, 1985 at about 7:40 pm local time, a Cessna 182P, registered N52711, was destroyed in an accident near Gila Bend, Arizona. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 3 people were 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
- March 23, 1985 · about 7:40 pm local time
- Place
- Gila Bend, Arizona · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182P · all 182Ps on the register
- Registration
- N52711 · registry record · serial 18262788
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WHILE IN CRUISE FLT THE ACFT'S HIGH VOLTAGE WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED AND THE ALTERNATOR CIRCUIT BREAKER POPPED OUT. THE PLT RESET THE BREAKER WHICH RESTORED OPERATION TO THE CIRCUIT. LATER IN THE FLT A FIRE ERUPTED BEHIND THE INSTRUMENTPANAL AND SOON THEREAFTER, ALL ENG PWR WAS LOST. THE COCKPIT FILLED WITH SMOKE AND THE PLT GLIDED THE ACFT TO A FORCED LANDING. DURING ROLL OUT THE ACFT COLLIDED WITH A PALO VERDE TREE. THE ACFT WAS DESTROYED BY THE FIRE. THE COMPONENT/ ELECTRICAL SYSTEM WHICH INITIALLY MALFUNCTIONED AND THE RESULTANT FIRE'S POINT OF ORIGIN WERE NOT DETERMINED.
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: 550 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,538 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 30, 1984
- Maximum gross weight: 2,950 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-R (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: L12 Redlands CA at 5:40 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 40 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
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.