Cessna 150 accident near Missoula, Montana, January 15, 1985
On January 15, 1985 at about 1:00 am local time, a Cessna 150, registered N1416Q, was substantially damaged in an accident near Missoula, Montana. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were 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
- January 15, 1985 · about 1:00 am local time
- Place
- Missoula, Montana
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150 · all 150s on the register
- Registration
- N1416Q · no longer on the register · serial 15072716
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
ON JAN 14, 1985, A CESSNA 150 NOSED OVER AFTER LANDING ON A HIGHWAY NEAR MISSOULA, MT. THE PILOT STATED HE LOST PARTIAL ENGINE POWER DUE TO CARBURETOR ICING CONDITIONS ENCOUNTERED ENROUTE FROM GREAT FALLS, MT. THE PILOT AND HIS PASSENGER WERE NOT INJURED. THE AIRCRAFT SUSTAINED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE. THE PLT RECEIVED A WX BRIEFING AND FILED A VFR FLT PLAN WITH GREAT FALLS FSS.
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: 297 hours in all; 297 in this make and model; 101 in the last 90 days; 2,608 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,147 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 1, 1984
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200-A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: GTF Great Falls MT at 11:30 pm
- Destination: MSO Missoula MT
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Wind: from 270° at 15 knots
- Visibility: 6 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 10,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 32°F (0°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
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.