Cessna 182A accident near Clinton, Iowa, January 10, 1986
On January 10, 1986 at about 9:18 pm local time, a Cessna 182A, registered N3948D, was destroyed in an accident near Clinton, Iowa (Municipal airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. 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
- January 10, 1986 · about 9:18 pm local time
- Place
- Clinton, Iowa · Municipal · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182A · all 182As on the register
- Registration
- N3948D · no longer on the register · serial 34648
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT NORMALLY MADE SEVERAL TOUCH AND GO LANDINGS BEFORE DEPARTING THE LOCAL AREA. HE WAS KNOWN TO NOT FLY NEAR CLOUDS OR AT NIGHT. FOR THIS FLIGHT, THE CEILING WAS AT LEAST 1000 FEET AT TAKEOFF AND WAS AT LEAST 700 FEET IN THE ACCIDENT AREA. AIRPLANE WAS OBSERVED AT TAKEOFF BUT WAS NOT SEEN AGAIN UNTIL THE WRECKAGE WAS FOUND. THE AIRPLANE IMPACTED THE TERRAIN AT HIGH SPEED, IN A SLIGHT DESCENT, ONE MILE WEST OF THE DEPARTURE AIRPORT, NEAR WHERE THE NORMAL DOWNWIND LEG WOULD HAVE BEEN.
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: 1,059 hours in all; 1,059 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,465 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 21, 1985; 15 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,650 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-L (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Destination: DBQ Dubuque IA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 32, 3,700 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 270° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 34°F (1°C), dew point 27°F (-3°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
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.