Cessna 182P accident near Payson, Arizona, October 12, 1998
On October 12, 1998 at about 6:20 pm local time, a Cessna 182P, registered N1938M, was substantially damaged in an accident near Payson, Arizona (Payson Municipal airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 3 people had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot's failure to maintain runway alignment during a go-around.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 12, 1998 · about 6:20 pm local time
- Place
- Payson, Arizona · Payson Municipal · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 3 people had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182P · all 182Ps on the register
- Registration
- N1938M · no longer on the register · serial 18264491
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane drifted off of the runway, collided with a boulder and overturned during a go-around following a bounced landing. The pilot and his passengers were returning to their home airport after flying out for breakfast. As the airplane entered the traffic pattern, the pilot noticed men and equipment on the runway. He asked UNICOM to clear the runway. The men vacated the runway but parked the equipment in close proximity to the pavement edge, approximately 1,000 feet down from the approach end of the runway. The pilot flew a slightly high approach in order to avoid landing prior to the men and equipment. After bouncing the landing, the pilot attempted to go around. The airplane drifted off the runway and struck a boulder, which sheared off the nose wheel and strut. It continued to slide on its nose for a short distance before the nose dug in and it nosed over onto its back. The pilot said there was no mechanical malfunction or failure of the airplane or its systems prior to the accident.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,178 hours in all; 21 in this make and model; 16 in the last 90 days; 8 in the last 30 days; 2,115 as pilot in command; 165 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,184 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 19, 1998; 154 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,950 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-S (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SEZ Sedona AZ at 5:15 pm
- Destination: E69
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 24, 5,500 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
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.