Cessna 172RG accident near Wilsall, Montana, July 29, 1985
On July 29, 1985 at about 4:10 pm local time, a Cessna 172RG, registered N6156R, was destroyed in an accident near Wilsall, Montana (Wilsall airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed and 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
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 November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 29, 1985 · about 4:10 pm local time · cases in 1985
- Place
- Wilsall, Montana · Wilsall · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed and 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172RG · all 172RGs on the register
- Registration
- N6156R · no longer on the register · serial 172RG0097
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT OBTAINED A WX BRIEFING THAT FORECAST IMC. HE FILED A VFR FLT PLAN AND DEPARTED POLSON, MONTANA AT 0830 EN ROUTE TO POWELL, WYOMING. THE PLT SAID HE ENCOUNTERED LOW CEILINGS, LOW VISIBILITIES, AND DRIZZLE JUST PAST HELENA, MONTANA BUT HE CONTINUED. THE PLT SAID WHEN HE THOUGHT HE COULD GO NO FURTHER HE SLOWED THE ACFT AND STARTED A LEFT TURN. THE ACFT COLLIDED WITH TREES AND CRASHED INTO THE GROUND AT ABOUT 1010.
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: 425 hours in all; 53 in this make and model; 3 in the last 90 days; 364 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,326 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 17, 1984; 32 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,200 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-FIA6 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 8S1 Polson MT at 2:30 pm
- Destination: POY Powell WY
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 30 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 50 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°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.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N6156R: not on the register today · the record of its deregistration
- Cessna 172 Skyhawk 20,680 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Cessna 72,684 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-FIA6 1,067 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Wilsall Airport · nearest airport
- Polson Airport · departed from
- Powell Municipal · bound for
- Accidents and incidents in Montana 1,121 since 1982 · 166 in the last ten years
- Montana 6,049 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/DEN85FA202.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.