Cessna 182R accident near Flagstaff, Arizona, January 3, 1992
On January 3, 1992 at about 1:15 am local time, a Cessna 182R, registered N5485N, was destroyed in an accident near Flagstaff, Arizona (Pulliam airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was conditions the NTSB did not record.
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE PILOT BECAME SPATIALLY DISORIENTED AND LOST CONTROL OF THE AIRPLANE AS HE TURNED AWAY FROM GROUND LIGHTS TOWARD UNLIGHTED TERRAIN. THE CLOUDS, FOG, AND DARK NIGHT CONDITION WERE FACTORS.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 3, 1992 · about 1:15 am local time
- Place
- Flagstaff, Arizona · Pulliam · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- conditions the NTSB did not record
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182R · all 182Rs on the register
- Registration
- N5485N · no longer on the register · serial 18267753
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AFTER LIFT-OFF, THE AIRPLANE WAS OBSERVED TO CLIMB TO AN ESTIMATED ALTITUDE OF 300-400 FT AGL BEFORE TURNING RIGHT AND DESCENDING INTO TREES. THE WITNESS STATED THAT THE HORIZON WAS OBSCURED FROM HIS LOCATION, AND THAT THE LIGHTS FROM THE CITY WERE OBSCURED BY LOW STRATUS CLOUDS AND FOG. PRIOR TO TAKEOFF THE PILOT HAD ACKNOWLEDGED RECEIVING THE CURRENT ATIS INFORMATION WHICH REPORTED SCATTERED CLOUDS AT 500 FT AND A FOG BANK NORTHWEST THROUGH EAST, VISIBILITY NORTHWEST 2 MI, VISIBILITY EAST 3 MI.
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: 1,497 hours in all; 624 in this make and model; 14 in the last 90 days; 14 in the last 30 days; 1,439 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,701 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, November 8, 1991; 8 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,100 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470U-18B (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Pedrick Construction Company
The flight
- Departed from: FLG at 1:13 am
- Destination: DVT Phoenix AZ
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 3, 6,999 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 030° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 12,000 ft; scat at 500 ft
- Temperature: 21°F (-6°C), dew point 19°F (-7°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:01 am from FLG, 1 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.