Cessna 182Q accident near Morris, Minnesota, September 27, 2004
On September 27, 2004 at about 10:45 am local time, a Cessna 182Q, registered N735VY, was destroyed in an accident near Morris, Minnesota (Morris Municipal Airport). 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).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's inadequate weather evaluation that resulted flight into night instrument meteorological conditions and a subsequent loss of aircraft control. Factors to the accident were the pilot's lack of recent night experience and the low cloud ceiling at night.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 27, 2004 · about 10:45 am local time
- Place
- Morris, Minnesota · Morris Municipal Airport · 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
- N735VY · no longer on the register · serial 18265730
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane impacted terrain about 1.55 nautical miles south of the departure airport. Night instrument meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The non-instrument rated pilot contacted Princeton Automated Flight Service Station to file a visual flight rules flight plan. The pilot indicated that he would depart between 0530 and 0545 cdt. The flight plan was never activated. The pilot did not request, nor was he given a standard weather briefing. Records show he did not obtain weather information via a direct user access terminal service. However, the departure airport did have a commercial weather display terminal as well as an on-airport weather radio broadcast. The weather at the time of the accident included broken to overcast ceilings at 500 feet agl and visibilities between 7 and 10 sm. A pilot-rated witness reported seeing an airplane takeoff around the time of the accident. The witness stated that the airplane was about 1/2 sm southeast of the airport at about 200 feet above ground level. The witness remarked that the airplane's climb-out was shallower than a normal departure. The witness reported that there was some ground fog over the tops of the cornfields and in low-lying areas. The witness stated that the sky was not overcast as he observed stars at the time. No pre-impact anomalies were found with the airframe, engine or accessories. The pilot had 7.3 hours of night flight experience, of which 0.3 hours were without a flight instructor. The pilot's last logged night flight was more than two years prior to the accident.
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: 220 hours in all; 25 in this make and model; 10 in the last 90 days; 6 in the last 30 days; 158 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: October 2, 2003
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,356.9 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 5, 2004; 100.3 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,950 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Teledyne Continental O-470-U26 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MOX Morris MN at 10:45 am
- Destination: IXD Olathe KS
- Flight plan: VFR
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 320° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 500 ft
- Temperature: 55°F (13°C), dew point 55°F (13°C)
- Altimeter: 30.01 inHg
- Observation at 10:35 am from MOX, 2 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.