Cessna 182P accident near Jerome, Arizona, April 18, 1995
On April 18, 1995 at about 5:15 pm local time, a Cessna 182P, registered N85DK, was destroyed in an accident near Jerome, Arizona. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 4 people were killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot's improper in-flight decision to continue the daytime flight into known adverse weather conditions at an inadequate altitude to clear mountainous terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 18, 1995 · about 5:15 pm local time
- Place
- Jerome, Arizona · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 4 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182P · all 182Ps on the register
- Registration
- N85DK · no longer on the register · serial 18262934
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
SOMETIME AFTER TAKEOFF DURING THE DAYTIME CROSS-COUNTRY FLIGHT, THE PILOT ENCOUNTERED DETERIORATING WEATHER CONDITIONS. THE PILOT CLIMBED TO ABOUT 14,000 FEET MEAN SEA LEVEL (MSL), AND THEN DESCENDED. RECORDED RADAR DATA INDICATED THAT THE AIRPLANE PROCEEDED ALONG A ROUTE OF FLIGHT WHICH WAS CONSISTENT WITH THE ROUTE FOUND MARKED ON AN AERONAUTICAL CHART LOCATED IN THE WRECKAGE. A PORTION OF THE ROUTE INCLUDED A HIGHLIGHTED COURSE ALONG VICTOR AIRWAY 12 BETWEEN THE WINSLOW AND DRAKE VORTACS. RADAR LAST RECORDED THE AIRPLANE DESCENDING IN A WESTERLY DIRECTION TO ABOUT 7,900 FEET MSL. THE AIRPLANE WAS FOUND BETWEEN 7,500 AND 7,700 FEET MSL, 1 MILE WEST OF ITS LAST RECORDED POSITION. THE WRECKAGE EXAMINATION INDICATED THE AIRPLANE CRUISED INTO UPSLOPING MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN WHILE ON A WESTERLY HEADING. NO MECHANICAL MALFUNCTIONS WERE FOUND WITH THE AIRFRAME OR ENGINE.
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: 445 hours in all; 319 in this make and model; 26 in the last 90 days; 25 in the last 30 days; 338 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,873 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 15, 1994; 69 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,950 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-R (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 4AC Coronado NM at 2:26 pm
- Destination: SZP Santa Paula CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
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.