Cessna 182Q accident near Gettysburg, South Dakota, June 3, 2003
On June 3, 2003 at about 2:42 pm local time, a Cessna 182Q, registered N630SW, was destroyed in an accident near Gettysburg, South Dakota. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot not maintaining aircraft control in cruise flight leading to his inadvertent spiral. A factor was the pilot's in-flight encounter with moderate to heavy rain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 3, 2003 · about 2:42 pm local time
- Place
- Gettysburg, South Dakota · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182Q · all 182Qs on the register
- Registration
- N630SW · registry record · serial 18265516
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane, piloted by an instrument rated private pilot, was destroyed on impact with terrain. Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The pilot was fatally injured. No flight plan was on file. A witness stated that he dropped the pilot off at the departure airport for his return flight on June 3, 2003, at about 0730 mountain daylight time. The witness did not see the airplane depart. There was no record of a weather briefing for the accident flight. The flight was reported as missing when it did not return. The pilot had in his possession an expired third class medical certificate with no limitations. His logbook showed an entry for an instrument proficiency check on October 11, 2000, and an entry for a flight review on June 12, 2002. The logbook showed the pilot logged 2.4 hours of actual instrument flight time on October 13, 2000, and logged .4 hours of simulated instrument flight time on June 12, 2002. The airplane had a total time and hobbs time of 2,190.7 hours at that annual inspection. The aircraft impacted terrain nearly vertical. The fuselage was found crushed in an accordion like fashion with the empennage resting on top of the cabin area of the fuselage. The engine was disassembled and the crankshaft was found with a separation on the cheek between the fifth and sixth journals. Engine controls were traced from the cockpit to the engine. Both magnetos produced spark when rotated by hand. The Hobbs meter read 2,224.5 hours on-scene. Flight controls were taken to the coroner's office and were not able to be reviewed on scene. The indicated weather along a direct course was moderate to heavy rain around the time accident. Recorded National Track Analysis Program (NTAP) radar data of a flight in the area the accident site was plotted. The track of the flight was southeast. NTAP data showed that the flight, at 1434:45Z [Zulu], started a climb from a pressure altitude of 5,600 feet to a pressure altitude of 7,700 feet at 1439:33Z. The flight's altitude varied between 7,600 and 7,700 feet of pressure altitude until 1442:09Z. The remaining data points exhibited a pattern in the shape of a descending spiral.
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: 559 hours in all
- Last flight review: June 12, 2002
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (expired)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,224.5 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 13, 2002; 33.8 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,950 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-U (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: DIK Dickinson ND
- Destination: LWC Lawrence KS
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 140° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 6 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 700 ft
- Temperature: 54°F (12°C), dew point 50°F (10°C)
- Altimeter: 29.90 inHg
- Observation at 2:53 pm from PIR, 40 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number CHI03FA141.