Cessna 152 accident near Divide, Montana, September 16, 1982
On September 16, 1982 at about 7:20 pm local time, a Cessna 152, registered N49816, was destroyed in an accident near Divide, Montana. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. 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
- September 16, 1982 · about 7:20 pm local time
- Place
- Divide, Montana · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 152 · all 152s on the register
- Registration
- N49816 · no longer on the register · serial 15281336
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT STALLED & CRASHED ON THE SIDE OF A RIDGE. THE PLT WAS DESCRIBED AS AN AVID OUTDOORSMAN, SPORTSMAN & HUNTER. ACCORDING TO LOCAL RESIDENTS NEAR THE CRASH SITE, THE AREA IS WELL POPULATED WITH LARGE & SMALL GAME. DENSITY ALTITUDE WAS COMPUTED TO BE 6,191 FT. THE PLT HAD FLOWN THE C-152 ONLY ONCE, ON 7/5/80, BEFORE THE ACCIDENT AT WHICH TIME HE LOGGED 0.9 HRS OF DUAL. HOWEVER HE HAD ALSO LOGGED 54.2 HRS IN THE C-150. THE LAST TIME THE PLT HAD FLOWN THE C-150 WAS ON 11/2/80.
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: 268 hours in all; 1 in this make and model; 17 in the last 90 days; 1 in the last 30 days; 141 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,039 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 294 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,670 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235-L2C (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Marathon Aviation Corporation
The flight
- Departed from: C Butte MT at 1:04 pm
- Destination: C Butte MT
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 30 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 5,000 ft; scat at 3,500 ft
- Temperature: 120°F (49°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:50 pm from BTM, 23 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.