Cessna 172 accident near Near Ramey, Puerto Rico, December 17, 1982
On December 17, 1982 at about 10:07 pm local time, a Cessna 172, registered N4481L, was destroyed in an accident near Near Ramey, Puerto Rico. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved. 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
- December 17, 1982 · about 10:07 pm local time
- Place
- Near Ramey, Puerto Rico
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172 · all 172s on the register
- Registration
- N4481L · no longer on the register · serial 17254576
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING CROSS-COUNTRY VFR DAY FLIGHT PILOT BECAME LOST AND WAS RECEIVING RADIO HELP IN ORIENTATION WHEN FUEL WAS EXHAUSTED AND AIRCRAFT DITCHED ABOUT 68 NMI NORTH OF RAMEY, PR.
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: 96 hours in all; 20 in this make and model; 4 in the last 90 days; 54 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,806 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 5 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-300D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MDSD Santo Domingo
- Destination: JIG San Juan PR
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Wind: from 040° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; clear
- Temperature: 171°F (77°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:00 pm from JNC, 68 miles away
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.