Cessna 182A accident near Onxy, Arkansas, March 27, 1985
On March 27, 1985 at about 8:30 pm local time, a Cessna 182A, registered N6048B, was destroyed in an accident near Onxy, Arkansas. It was a personal 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
- March 27, 1985 · about 8:30 pm local time
- Place
- Onxy, Arkansas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182A · all 182As on the register
- Registration
- N6048B · no longer on the register · serial 34048
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AT 1230 CST ON 3/27/85, THE PLT & HIS WIFE DEPARTED ON A X-COUNTRY FLT, BUT DID NOT ARRIVE AT THEIR DESTINATION. WHEN FAMILY MEMBERS BECAME CONCERNED, A SEARCH WAS INITIATED. THE WRECKAGE WAS LOCATED ON 3/31/85 WHERE THE ACFT COLLIDED WITH TREES & CRASHED ON WOODED TERRAIN. INVESTIGATION REVEALED THE PLT HAD OBTAINED AN AIRBORNE WX BRIEFING AT 1343 CST.THE LATEST WX AT HOT SPRINGS AT THAT TIME WAS REPORTED AS SKY PARTIALLY OBSCURED, 800' OVERCAST, VISIBILITY 3/4 MI WITH FOG, WIND 170 DEG AT 5 KTS. A RADAR SUMMARY SHOWED 2/10 COVERAGE OF THUNDERSTORMS & RAIN SHOWERS IN THE AREA. AN EXAM OF THE CRASH SITE SHOWED THAT INITIAL IMPACT WAS WITH TREES AT APRX 40' AGL. THE 1ST IMPACT WITH THE GROUND WAS ABOUT 200' BEYOND INITIAL IMPACT WITH THE TREES. THE WRECKAGE PATH WAS 400' LONG. NO PREIMPACT PART FAILURE/MALFUNCTION WAS FOUND. THE PROP BLADES HAD SIGNIFICANT ROTATIONAL DAMAGE. APRX 27 MI NW AT HOT SPRINGS, THE 1358 WX WAS IN PART: PARTIALLY OBSCURED, 800 FT OVERCAST, 1 MI VIS WITH FOG. THE CRASH SITE WAS APRX 300' ABOVE THE ELEV AT HOT SPRINGS.
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: 239 hours in all; 25 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,102 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 4, 1985; 2 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,650 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-L (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: F29 Oklahoma City OK at 6:30 pm
- Destination: HOT Hot Springs AR
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 170° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 1 statute miles
- Sky: overcast
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:58 pm from HOT, 27 miles away
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.