Cessna 182 accident near Page, Arizona, August 9, 1998
On August 9, 1998 at about 5:45 pm local time, a Cessna 182, registered N6491A, was substantially damaged in an accident near Page, Arizona (Page Muni 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
Failure of the pilot to verify throttle position and/or obtain qualified assistance while hand propping the aircraft engine.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 9, 1998 · about 5:45 pm local time
- Place
- Page, Arizona · Page Muni
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182 · all 182s on the register
- Registration
- N6491A · registry record · serial 33291
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The aircraft would not start following refueling. The fixed-base operator provided an external power source, but the engine still did not start. The pilot stated that he tied the tail down and chocked the nose gear. He then primed the engine and inadvertently pushed the throttle forward. After exiting the aircraft, he hand propped the propeller. The engine started, revved to high rpm, rolled over the chock and pulled the tail tie down loose. By the time the pilot was able to apply brakes, the aircraft had struck a fuel truck and a brick wall.
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: 1,338 hours in all; 700 in this make and model; 6 in the last 90 days; 6 in the last 30 days; 1,307 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,506 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 3, 1998; 12 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,550 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 67L Mesquite NV at 4:00 pm
- Destination: RTN Raton NM
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 5,000 ft
- Temperature: 84°F (29°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.