Cessna TR182 accident near Tappen, North Dakota, September 4, 2002
On September 4, 2002, a Cessna TR182, registered N756WF, was destroyed in an accident near Tappen, North Dakota. It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's inadequate visual lookout and his failure to maintain clearance of the transmission wires. Also causal was inadequate preflight planning. Factors associated with the accident were the low altitude and airspeed when the abrupt maneuver was made and the high tension power lines.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 4, 2002
- Place
- Tappen, North Dakota · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna TR182 · all TR182s on the register
- Registration
- N756WF · no longer on the register · serial R18201177
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane was destroyed by fire after impacting the terrain, following a loss of control. The pilot and passenger were inspecting high tension power lines when the accident occurred. The airplane was following a set of high-tension lines that ran eastbound from Bismarck, along Interstate 94. One person, located approximately 6 miles west of the accident site, reported that the airplane was flying along the south side of the lines, slightly below the height of the lower towers. Another set of power lines, coming from the northwest, join up and run parallel on the north side of the lines being followed. The two sets of lines diverge at the accident site with the northern most lines turning toward the south across the airplane's flight path. Witnesses reported seeing the airplane flying low and slow near the power lines, heading from the west to the east. Inspection of the towers and lines did not reveal any evidence that the airplane had contacted them. The bid paperwork that was forwarded to the NTSB from the pilot's company did not show the intersecting power lines. The owner of the power lines provided a supplemental plan profile, which did show the intersecting lines. It is not know if the pilot had the plan profile. The North Dakota Aeronautical Chart and the Twin Cities Sectional both show the intersecting power lines. The pilot's wife stated that she did not recall the pilot using any maps or charts during the portion of the flight when she was on board.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,900 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,374 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 20, 2002
- Maximum gross weight: 3,100 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming O-540-L3C5D (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: BIS Bismarck ND at 11:30 pm
- Destination: FAR Fargo ND
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 140° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 61°F (16°C)
- Altimeter: 29.94 inHg
- Observation at 11:56 pm from JMS, 35 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.