Piper PA-18-150 accident near Hardin, Montana, April 23, 1982
On April 23, 1982 at about 6:50 pm local time, a Piper PA-18-150, registered N1759P, was substantially damaged in an accident near Hardin, Montana (Pocket Creek Ranch airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 23, 1982 · about 6:50 pm local time
- Place
- Hardin, Montana · Pocket Creek Ranch · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-18-150 · all PA-18-150s on the register
- Registration
- N1759P · registry record · serial 184079
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT AND HIS COPILOT WERE ON A FLIGHT TO A PRIVATE RANCH STRIP. THE PILOT REPORTED THAT HIS APPROACH WAS NORMAL, EXCEPT IT WAS HOT AND GROUND EFFECT CARRIED THE PLANE A LITTLE TOO FAR. HE STATED THAT THE FIELD WAS SOFT, AND WHEN HE APPLIED BRAKES LIGHTLY, THE PLANE NOSED OVER. THE COPILOT STATED THAT THE AIRCRAFT SKIDDED AND WENT UPSIDE DOWN. IN AN INTERVIEW SHORTLY AFTER THE ACCIDENT, THE PILOT SAID THAT THE AIRCRAFT HAD RECENTLY BEEN MODIFIED WITH CLEVELAND BRAKES AND THAT HE WAS NOT COMPLETELY ACCUSTOMED TO THEM. THE WIND WAS CALM, THE TEMPERATURE WAS 74 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT, AND THE FIELD ELEVATION WAS ABOUT 2800 FT.
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: 138 hours in all; 130 in this make and model; 15 in the last 90 days; 15 in the last 30 days; 90 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,177 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 10 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,750 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-A2A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SHR Sheridan WY at 11:00 am
- Destination: Oberlin LA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0, 2,800 ft by 250 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 220° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; clear
- Temperature: 165°F (74°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:49 pm from BIL, 46 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
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.
Other NTSB records under N1759P the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.