Cessna 182Q accident near Rozel, Kansas, February 16, 2004
On February 16, 2004 at about 11:14 pm local time, a Cessna 182Q, registered N735RD, was destroyed in an accident near Rozel, Kansas (Pratt Industrial airport). It was an aerial observation flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The inadvertent flight into instrument meteorological conditions, the spatial disorientation, and aircraft control not maintained by the pilot during cruise flight. Contributing to the accident were the night instrument meteorological conditions due to low ceilings and low visibility, an incomplete pre-flight weather briefing, and the lack of recent experience in instrument meteorological conditions.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 16, 2004 · about 11:14 pm local time
- Place
- Rozel, Kansas · Pratt Industrial · 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
- N735RD · registry record · serial 18265617
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Aerial observation flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The cross country flight departed without a flight plan, and the airplane was found destroyed in an agricultural field located in a sparely populated area. Night visual and instrument meteorological conditions were reported between the flight's departure and destination airports. A weather briefing was given to a caller representing the accident airplane in which the caller did not specifically request and was not provided with a standard weather briefing for the flight. Weather briefing information provided by the flight service station briefer indicated visual flight rule conditions. The briefer did not provide available weather forecast and present weather information that would have depicted instrument meteorological conditions in southwestern Kansas. Witnesses in the area reported observing instrument meteorological conditions in the accident site vicinity. According to the operator of the accident airplane, the pilot had not flown instruments for about three years and did not have more than 20 hours of actual instrument flight time. No mechanical anomalies were noted with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 8,800 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,096 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 18, 2004
- Maximum gross weight: 2,950 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470 (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Pratt Air Inc.
The flight
- Departed from: PTT Pratt KS
- Destination: CBK Colby KS
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: night
- Wind: from 150° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 28°F (-2°C), dew point 25°F (-4°C)
- Altimeter: 30.19 inHg
- Observation at 11:30 am from PTT, 49 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.