Cessna TR182 accident near Garwin, Iowa, February 9, 1983
On February 9, 1983 at about 9:15 pm local time, a Cessna TR182, registered N6144T, was destroyed in an accident near Garwin, Iowa. It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
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
- February 9, 1983 · about 9:15 pm local time
- Place
- Garwin, Iowa · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna TR182 · all TR182s on the register
- Registration
- N6144T · no longer on the register · serial R18201920
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING A BRIEFING FOR A FLT TO WESTERN OKLAHOMA, THE PLT WAS ADVISED THAT IMC WX WAS FORCASTED ALONG THE ROUTE. HE CHANGED HIS DESTINATION TO WATERLOO, IA & WAS ADVISED OF IMC IN THAT AREA ALSO. WHILE EN ROUTE, THE ACFT CRASHED IN A FIELD COVERED WITH SNOW. TWO WITNESSES HEARD THE PLANE BEFORE IT CRASHED. BOTH REPORTED THE ENGINE SOUNDED NORMAL UNTIL IMPACT. ONE WITNESS SAID THE ACFT SOUNDED LIKE IT WAS IN A DIVE. DURING AN EXAM OF THE WRECKAGE, NO EVIDENCE OF A PREIMPACT FAILURE WAS FOUND. WITNESSES REPORTED THAT AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT, THERE WERE CLOUDS AND THE VISIBILITY WAS LESS THAN 1/2 MI WITH FOG.
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: 400 hours in all; 300 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 130 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection; 130 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,100 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming O-540-L3C5D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: DSM Des Moines IA at 8:40 pm
- Destination: 6C8 La Porte City IA
- 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 | 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.