Cessna 180 accident near Kalispell, Montana, February 2, 1986
On February 2, 1986 at about 8:10 pm local time, a Cessna 180, registered N2874K, was destroyed in an accident near Kalispell, Montana. It was a business 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 October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 2, 1986 · about 8:10 pm local time
- Place
- Kalispell, Montana · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed and 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 180 · all 180s on the register
- Registration
- N2874K · registry record · serial 180-53110
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT RECEIVED A WX BRIEFING AND FILED AN IFR FLT PLAN TO BOEING FIELD, SEATTLE, WA. HE DEPARTED KALISPELL, MT, AT 1135 MST. WHEN THE PLT ARRIVED IN THE SPOKANE AREA, HE OBTAINED WX REPORTS FOR SEATTLE AND DECIDED TO TURN AROUND AND RETURN TO KALISPELL. WX AT KALISPELL HAD DETERIORATED. THE PLT WAS CLEARED FOR A CONTACT APCH. THE PLT ADVISED THE SALT LAKE ARTCC THAT HE HAD A SMALL LAKE IN SIGHT BELOW, WAS CANCELLING IFR AND PROCEEDING VFR. ICE FISHERMEN OBSERVED THE ACFT MAKE SEVERAL PASSES OVER THE LAKE THEN HEARD THE SOUND OF IMPACT. THEY DESCRIBED THE WX AS LOW CEILING, REDUCED VISIBILITY, SNOW, AND FOG. ALTHOUGH THE PLT COULD NOT RECALL THE EVENTS LEADING UP TO THE ACCIDENT, HE SURMISED THAT HE MAY HAVE ATTEMPTED A PRECAUTIONARY LANDING DUE TO AN ACCUMULATION OF AIRFRAME ICE. FLT PRECAUTIONS FOR MODERATE RIME ICE IN CLOUDS AND PRECIPITATION FROM FREEZING LEVEL TO 14,000 FT HAD BEEN FORECAST.
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, private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,284 hours in all; 396 in this make and model; 44 in the last 90 days; 1,090 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 881 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 23, 1985; 73 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,800 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-U (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: FCA Kalispell MT at 6:30 pm
- Destination: BFI Seattle WA
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- 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.
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.