Cessna 182P accident near Gardner, Kansas, May 16, 1983
On May 16, 1983 at about 9:00 pm local time, a Cessna 182P, registered N780H, was destroyed in an accident near Gardner, Kansas (Municipal 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
- May 16, 1983 · about 9:00 pm local time
- Place
- Gardner, Kansas · Municipal · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182P · all 182Ps on the register
- Registration
- N780H · registry record · serial 18264048
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT WAS THROUGHLY PREFLIGHTED TO CHECK FOR WATER IN FUEL. THE ACFT HAD BEEN OUTDOORS IN RAIN FOR SEVERAL WEEKS. RUN-UP AND TAXI WERE NORMAL. DURING RIGHT TURN OUT OF TRAFFIC THE ENGINE QUIT. THE PILOT MADE A LANDING IN A FIELD AND NOSED OVER. THE ACFT FUEL FILTER AND CARBURETOR WERE FULL OF WATER FOLLOWING THE ACCIDENT. THE FUEL CELLS WERE FOUND TO HAVE RIDGES AND STEPS SO HIGH THAT TRAPPED WATER WAS NEXT TO IMPOSSIBLE TO REMOVE BY NORMAL PREFLIGHT METHODS. THESE CELLS WERE FACTORY INSTALLED. ALSO THE FACTORY INSTALLED ADAPTERS HAD ERODED ALLOWING WATER TO ENTER AROUND THE FUEL CAPS.
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: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 15,535 hours in all; 35 in this make and model; 151 in the last 90 days; 11,435 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,167 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 4, 1983; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,950 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470S (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Destination: KSO Oskaloosa KS
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 8, 3,053 ft by 120 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 145° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 64°F (18°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.
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.