Cessna 180K accident near Ft.Smith, Arkansas, December 14, 1984
On December 14, 1984 at about 10:07 pm local time, a Cessna 180K, registered N64011, was destroyed in an accident near Ft.Smith, Arkansas. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was 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
- December 14, 1984 · about 10:07 pm local time
- Place
- Ft.Smith, Arkansas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 180K · all 180Ks on the register
- Registration
- N64011 · no longer on the register · serial 18052862
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WITNESSES ALONG THE ARKANSAS RIVER OBSERVED THE ACFT FLYING LOW OVER THE RIVER, IN A NORTHEASTERLY DIRECTION. AS THE ACFT APPROACHED A SET OF HIGH VOLTAGE POWER LINES THAT CROSSED THE RIVER APRX 85 FT ABOVE THE WATER, IT BANKED LEFT AND THE RT WING STRUCK THE LOWER WIRES. THE ACFT IMPACTED THE WATER TAIL FIRST AND SUBMERGED. INVESTIGATION REVEALED THAT THE ENG AND PROPELLER SOUNDS WERE NORMAL PRIOR TO IMPACT. CONTINUITY OF THE CONTROL CABLES WERE ESTABLISHED. WX AT THE TIME OF ACCIDENT WAS ESTIMATED TO BE ABOUT 300 OVERCAST WITH ABOUT 1 MI VISIBILITY.
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; single-engine sea
- Flight time: 2,000 hours in all; 50 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 916 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 26, 1984; 14 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,950 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-U (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: ROG Rogers AR at 9:45 pm
- Destination: LIT Little Rock AR
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 1 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 300 ft; not recorded at 300 ft
- Temperature: 48°F (9°C), dew point 46°F (8°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.