Cessna 177B accident near Wolf Pt., Montana, January 20, 1982
On January 20, 1982 at about 2:15 am local time, a Cessna 177B, registered N35147, was destroyed in an accident near Wolf Pt., Montana. It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed and 2 people were seriously injured. The weather was conditions the NTSB did not record.
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
- January 20, 1982 · about 2:15 am local time
- Place
- Wolf Pt., Montana · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed and 2 people were seriously injured.
- Weather
- conditions the NTSB did not record
- Aircraft
- Cessna 177B · all 177Bs on the register
- Registration
- N35147 · no longer on the register · serial 17702232
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT REPORTED THAT HE ENCOUNTERED A SNOW SQUALL WHILE CRUISING AT 5000 FT MSL ON A VFR FLIGHT PLAN AT NIGHT. HE STATED THAT HE DESCENDED TO 4000 FT MSL TO TRY TO GET UNDER THE SQUALL AND CONTINUE. HE WAS UNABLE TO REMEMBER WHAT HAPPENED AFTER DESCENDING TO 4000 FT MSL. THE PLANE WAS FOUND AND THE SURVIVORS WERE RESCUED WITHIN TWO HOURS AFTER THE ACCIDENT. THE AIRCRAFT HAD CRASHED ON LEVEL, SNOW COVERED TERRAIN AND CONTINUED ABOUT 300 FT AFTER IMPACT. AN INSPECTION OF THE WRECKAGE REVEALED NO PREIMPACT MALFUNCTION OR FAILURE OF THE FLIGHT CONTROLS OR ENGINE. LOCAL RESIDENTS ESTIMATED THE VISIBILITY FROM LESS THEN ONE MILE TO THREE MILES WITH SNOW FALLING AND BLOWING. THE WIND CHILL FACTOR WAS ABOUT MINUS 50 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT. THE PILOT WAS NOT CERTIFICATED TO FLY AT NIGHT. THE ELEVATION OF THE CRASH SITE WAS ABOUT 2200 FT MSL.
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: 535 hours in all; 489 in this make and model; 10 in the last 90 days; 498 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (invalid medical for flight)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 548 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 16 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,500 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-AIF6D (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Norgaard Farms
The flight
- Departed from: Billings MT at 5:30 pm
- Destination: Popular MT
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 32°F (0°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Observation at 5:30 pm from BMS
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 | 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.