Cessna 182U accident near Tuba City, Arizona, August 23, 1986
On August 23, 1986 at about 8:00 pm local time, a Cessna 182U, registered N5299N, was substantially damaged in an accident near Tuba City, Arizona. It was a business 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
- August 23, 1986 · about 8:00 pm local time
- Place
- Tuba City, Arizona · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182U · all 182Us on the register
- Registration
- N5299N · no longer on the register · serial 182-67631
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT COLLIDED WITH A DIRT BANK AFTER LOSING ALT DURING THE INITIAL CLIMB AFTER TAKEOFF FROM A DIRT ROAD. THE PLT INDICATED THE ACFT BECAME AIRBORNE AFTER AN APRX 800 FT GROUND RUN AND CLIMBED TO AN ALT OF 10 FT AGL. THE ACFT THEN ENCOUNTERED A GUST OF WIND AND SETTLED 6 FT. THE ACFT STRUCK A 4 FT DIRT BANK LOCATED AT A BEND IN THE ROAD SHEARING OFF THE NOSE GEAR. THE ACFT THEN LANDED IN SOFT SAND AND NOSED OVER. THE PLT'S ACCIDENT REPORT INDICATED THAT THE ACFT WAS LOADED WITH 88 GLLONS OF FUEL AND THREE PERSONS ON DEPARTURE FROM THE DIRT ROAD, AND THAT THE TEMP WAS APRX 75 DEGREES F (24 DEGREES C) AT THE 5,500 FT ELEVATION. ACCORDING TO THE OPERATORS MANUAL, FOR A GROSS WEIGHT OF 2,700 LBS, A TEMP OF 20 DEGREES C AND A PRESSURE ALT OF 5,000 FT, A MINIMUM GROUND ROLL DISTANCE OF 930 FT WOULD BE REQUIRED TO ACCOMPLISH A SHORT FIELD TAKEOFF.
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: 731 hours in all; 731 in this make and model; 15 in the last 90 days; 8 in the last 30 days; 731 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,219 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 20, 1986; 111 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,960 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-U (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Tuba City AZ at 8:00 pm
- Destination: FLG Flagstaff AZ
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 230° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 25,000 ft; scat at 6,000 ft
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 46°F (8°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:55 pm from FLG, 57 miles away
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.