Probable cause
The pilot’s failure to maintain clearance from mountainous terrain while maneuvering at low altitude for undetermined reasons.
NTSB analysis
Family members reported that the pilot was overdue on a cross-country flight to visit a friend. The wreckage was discovered the next day. The main wreckage was found at the base of a vertical bluff with portions of the wings about halfway up on the bluff face. Radar data indicated that the airplane circled in the accident area at low altitude. The last radar return, which was in the immediate vicinity of the bluff, indicated an altitude that was lower than the elevation of the top of the bluff. Investigators found no anomalies with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation.
Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for LAX08FA267 for the full record.
Event
- Date
- Aug 14, 2008
- Type
- Accident
- Place
- Sahuarita, Arizona
- Highest injury
- Fatal
- Fatal injuries
- 1
- Weather
- Visual (VMC)
- Light
- Day
Cessna TR182
- N-number
- N4887R
- Category
- Airplane
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Operating rule
- Part 91 (general aviation)
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
From the NTSB aviation accident database: N-registered aircraft, events since 2008, data through Oct 28, 2026. The file is published monthly, so the latest weeks are incomplete and recent records can change. The official source is the NTSB aviation investigation search. CheckAero is independent and not affiliated with the NTSB.