Cessna 182M accident near Gila Bend, Arizona, October 22, 1986
On October 22, 1986 at about 9:45 pm local time, a Cessna 182M, registered N91797, was substantially damaged in an accident near Gila Bend, Arizona (Gila Bend airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured and 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
- October 22, 1986 · about 9:45 pm local time
- Place
- Gila Bend, Arizona · Gila Bend · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182M · all 182Ms on the register
- Registration
- N91797 · no longer on the register · serial 18259914
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT VEERED OFF THE RWY DURING TAKEOFF GROUND RUN AND NOSED OVER. THE PLT INIDCATED THAT DURING THE TAKEOFF HIS SEAT SLID REARWARD AND HE WAS UNABLE TO REACH THE THROTTLE OR THE RUDDER PEDALS. THE ACFT DEPARTED THE RWY TO THE LEFT INTO VEGETATED DESERT TERRAIN. THE NOSE GEAR COLLAPSED AND THE ACFT NOSED OVER. EXAMINATION OF THE ACFT REVEALED THAT HARDWARE USED TO ASSEMBLE THE FORE-AFT SEAT ADJUSTMENT ASSEMBLY WAS INCORRECT. ONE COTTER PIN WAS INSTALLED INSTEAD OF A CLEVIS PIN WITH A SMALL COTTER PIN IN THE UPPER PORTION OF THE FORE-AFT SEAT ADJUSTMENT LOCKING PIN. ONE COTTER PIN WAS ALSO INSTALLED INSTEAD OF A ROLL-PIN ON THE LOWER PORTION OF THE SAME LOCKING PIN. THE INSTALLATION OF THE COTTER PINS ALLOWED TOO MUCH PLAY CAUSING THE FORE-AFT SEAT ADJUSTMENT LOCKING PIN NOT TO ENGAGE THE SEAT RAIL PROPERLY.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 412 hours in all; 220 in this make and model; 30 in the last 90 days; 21 in the last 30 days; 261 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,071 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 22, 1986; 73 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,800 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-R (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: GBN Gila Bend AZ at 9:45 pm
- Destination: SDM San Diego CA
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 22, 3,800 ft by 76 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 320° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 30 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded at 12,000 ft; not recorded at 12,000 ft
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 36°F (2°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:55 pm from GBN, 6 miles away
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.