Cessna 185A accident near Marion, Montana, May 15, 1982
On May 15, 1982 at about 10:00 pm local time, a Cessna 185A, registered N4175Y, was substantially damaged in an accident near Marion, Montana (Lost Prairie-Carson Field). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was 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
- May 15, 1982 · about 10:00 pm local time
- Place
- Marion, Montana · Lost Prairie-Carson Field · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 185A · all 185As on the register
- Registration
- N4175Y · no longer on the register · serial 1850375
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT REPORTED THAT WHEN HE WAS ON FINAL APPROACH, HE LOST ALL CONTROL, WHILE AT AN AIRSPEED OF ABOUT 74 MPH, AND THE AIRCRAFT STRUCK THE GROUND IN A NOSE LOW ATTITUDE. HE REPORTED THAT THE WIND WAS VARIABLE AT 10 GUSTING 20 KTS. ABOUT 35 MILES AWAY AT KALISPELL, MT, THE WIND WAS REPORTED FROM 240 DEGREES AT 5 KTS. THE DENSITY ALTITUDE WAS ABOUT 5000 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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,478 hours in all; 1,600 in this make and model; 24 in the last 90 days; 2,369 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,665 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 110 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,200 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-470-F (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Tomahawk Flight Enterprises
The flight
- Departed from: Marion MT at 3:30 pm
- Destination: Marion MT
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 30, 4,000 ft by 70 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; scat at 4,500 ft
- Temperature: 162°F (72°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:53 pm from FCA, 35 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.