Cessna 150L accident near Near Kalispell, Montana, August 23, 1982
On August 23, 1982 at about 3:55 am local time, a Cessna 150L, registered CGICK, was substantially damaged in an accident near Near Kalispell, Montana. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed and 1 person had minor injuries. 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
- August 23, 1982 · about 3:55 am local time
- Place
- Near Kalispell, Montana · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed and 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150L · all 150Ls on the register
- Registration
- CGICK · no longer on the register · serial 15075608
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AFTER A FLIGHT FROM VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA TO PENTICTON, CANADA, THE PILOT FILED A FLIGHT PLAN FOR A RETURN TRIP AND DEPARTED AT ABOUT 1900 MDT. LATER, THE AIRCRAFT CRASHED AT NIGHT IN THE LITTLE BITTERROOT LAKE, LOCATED ABOUT 25 MILES WEST OF KALISPELL, MT. THE PILOT EGRESSED FROM THE PLANE, BUT THE PASSENGER WAS INCAPACITATED AFTER IMPACT AND DROWNED WHEN THE PLANE SANK. THE PILOT LEFT THE ACCIDENT SITE AND WAS NOT LOCATED. HOWEVER, HE MADE 2 TELEPHONE CALLS (FROM NEW YORK AND TEXAS) TO A FRIEND IN CANADA AND INDICATED THE LOCATION OF THE CRASH SITE. THE AIRCRAFT WAS LOCATED IN 255 FT OF WATER AND WAS RECOVERED WITH THE PASSENGER. AN EXAMINATION OF THE AIRCRAFT REVEALED THAT THE LEADING EDGE OF THE RIGHT WING AND ENGINE COWLING WERE DAMAGED DURING TOUCHDOWN IN THE WATER. THE RIGHT FUEL TANK CONTAINED 4 GAL OF FUEL, THE LEFT TANK WAS FILLED WITH WATER. NO EVIDENCE OF A MECHANICAL MALFUNCTION OR FAILURE WERE FOUND.
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: 70 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Unknown
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,233 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Penticton at 7:00 pm
- Destination: Vancouver
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 20,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 129°F (54°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.