Cessna 182 RG accident near Palm Beach, Florida, March 31, 1983
On March 31, 1983 at about 1:00 am local time, a Cessna 182 RG, registered N55AG, was destroyed in an accident near Palm Beach, Florida (West Palm Beach airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. 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
- March 31, 1983 · about 1:00 am local time
- Place
- Palm Beach, Florida · West Palm Beach · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182 RG · all 182 RGs on the register
- Registration
- N55AG · registry record · serial R-182000034
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT DITCHED IN THE ATLANTIC OCEAN 5 MILES EAST OF PALM BEACH FL AFTER AN ELECTRICAL FIRE AND ENGINE FAILURE. THE PILOT SAID HE DEPARTED BOCA RATON AT 1950 EST. A FEW MINUTES LATER HE EXPERIENCED AN ELECTRICAL FIRE AND ELECTRICAL FAILURE. ABOUT 2 MINUTES LATER THE ENGINE QUIT. HE TRIED A RESTART WHICH WAS UNSUCCESSFUL AND DITCHED THE ACFT IN THE OCEAN WATER WHERE HE WAS RESCUED BY A FISHING BOAT. THE ACFT SANK AND WAS NOT RECOVERED.
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: 300 hours in all; 100 in this make and model; 15 in the last 90 days; 4 in the last 30 days; 240 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,550 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 10, 1983; 50 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,100 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming O-540-J3C5D (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Atlantic Aero INC.
The flight
- Departed from: BCT Boca Raton FL at 7:50 pm
- Destination: Ft. Pierce FL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.
Other NTSB records under N55AG the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.