- Date
- October 31, 1987, 08:50 local (15:50 UTC)
- Place
- Laveen, AZ
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N3804DCessna 182A
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 6, 1988
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19871031069339A
- Case key
- 25895
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The pilot stated that he was ferrying his aircraft three miles to a private strip. Shortly after takeoff, the engine began losing power. The pilot did not think he could make it to the private strip so he attempted a precautionary landing on a dirt road. He stated he was concentrating so hard on the dirt road that he did not see a saguaro cactus beside the road. The left wing of the aircraft collided with the cactus. There was light rainfall at the time of the accident. There were no reported mechanical problems prior to this flight. The pilot reported use of full carburetor heat could have prevented the loss of engine power.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N3804D
- Reported as
- Cessna 182A
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 34504
- Airframe hours
- 2,915
- Engine
- Continental O-470-L, 230 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Positioning · Part 91
- Operator
- Hoffman, Don G.
- Registered owner
- Hoffman, Don G.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · October 25, 1987 · 48 hours before
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 49
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 214 total · 214 in this make and model · 180 as pilot in command · 19 in the last 90 days · 7 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 70° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 10,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 64 °F, dew point 61 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- PHX, 7 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.