Cessna 182H accident near Petersburg, Alaska, June 16, 1983
On June 16, 1983 at about 10:30 am local time, a Cessna 182H, registered N1820X, was destroyed in an accident near Petersburg, Alaska. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. 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
- June 16, 1983 · about 10:30 am local time
- Place
- Petersburg, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182H · all 182Hs on the register
- Registration
- N1820X · no longer on the register · serial 18255920
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE STUDENT PLT WAS ON A NIGHT FLT FROM WHITEHORSE TO PRINCE RUPERT, CANADA VIA SKAGWAY & JUNEAU, AK. ACCORDING TO HIM, WHEN PASSING THE FIVE FINGERS NDB TO ENTER THE STRAIT, HE ENCOUNTERED SOUTHEAST WINDS OF APRX 25 KTS. ON ATTEMPTING TO RETURN TO JUNEAU, HE BECAME UNSURE OF HIS POSITION DUE TO DETERIORATING WX. HE SPENT SEVERAL HRS TRYING TO DETERMINE HIS POSITION & FINALLY SAW THE LIGHTS OF A SHIP. ALSO, HE WAS AT LOW ALTITUDE & REPORTEDLY TRIED FOR 45 MIN TO COMMUNICATE HIS PROBLEM BY RADIO. EVENTUALLY, COMMUNICATION WAS RELAYED BY ANOTHER ACFT THAT WAS OVERFLYING THE AREA. AS FUEL WAS EXHAUSTED, THE ACFT WAS DITCHED NEXT TO THE SHIP THAT HE HAD LOCATED. HE WAS RESCUED BY PERSONNEL ON THE SHIP, BUT THE ACFT SANK. THE STUDENT PLT HAD ONLY 7 HRS OF NIGHT FLYING EXPERIENCE & NO REPORTED INSTRUMENT TIME. THE WX AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT WAS ESTIMATED TO BE 2000 FT OVERCAST, 1/2 MI VISIBILITY WITH RAIN & 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: student
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 258 hours in all; 183 in this make and model; 183 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,050 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 1, 1983
- Maximum gross weight: 2,500 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-R (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: YKY Whitehorse at 1:45 am
- Destination: VPT Prince Ruppert
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 150° at 15 knots, gusting 25
- Sky: overcast at 2,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 52°F (11°C), dew point 46°F (8°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:55 am from KDN, 20 miles away
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.