Cessna 182Q accident near Safford, Arizona, August 18, 1985
On August 18, 1985 at about 8:00 pm local time, a Cessna 182Q, registered N735TQ, was substantially damaged in an accident near Safford, Arizona (Safford airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 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
- August 18, 1985 · about 8:00 pm local time
- Place
- Safford, Arizona · Safford · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182Q · all 182Qs on the register
- Registration
- N735TQ · no longer on the register · serial 18265674
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE AIRCRAFT EXPERIENCED A PARTIAL ENGINE POWER LOSS AFTER DEPARTING SAFFORD MUNICIPAL AIRPORT ON A VFR PERSONAL FLT TO SKY HARBOR ARPT, PHOENIX, AZ. THE PLT NEGOTIATED AN EMERG LNDG IN A FLT BRUSH AREA. PRIOR TO TOUCHDOWN THE ACFT STRUCK A MESQUITE TREE AND NOSED OVER. EXAMINATION OF THE ENGINE REVEALED THE INDUCTION AIR SEAL SEPARATED AND LODGED IN THE CARBUERTOR.
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: 1,021 hours in all; 144 in this make and model; 36 in the last 90 days; 6 in the last 30 days; 945 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,391 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 25, 1984
- Maximum gross weight: 2,800 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-U (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Destination: PHX Phoenix AR
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 95°F (35°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.