Cessna 182G accident near Brighton, Colorado, September 15, 1986
On September 15, 1986 at about 10:40 am local time, a Cessna 182G, registered N2030R, was destroyed in an accident near Brighton, Colorado. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. 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
- September 15, 1986 · about 10:40 am local time
- Place
- Brighton, Colorado · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182G · all 182Gs on the register
- Registration
- N2030R · no longer on the register · serial 18255230
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AT APPROXIMATELY 0415 HOURS WHEN IT WAS STILL NIGHT TIME, THE NON INSTRUMENT RATED PRIVATE PLT TOOK OFF ON AN EXTENDED CROSS COUNTRY FLT TO KENTUCKY. ABOUT 15 MINUTES LATER HE WAS OBSERVED FLYING IN A LEFT TURN, AT AN ATTITUDE OF 50 TO 75 FEET IN HEAVY FOG WHEN THE ACFT IMPACTED THE GROUND. THE ACFT WAS DESTROYED AND THE PLT. RECEIVED FATAL INJURIES. THE PLTS FLT TIME WAS NOT REPORTED OR AVAILABLE.
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
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,741 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 4, 1985; 305 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,800 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470 SERIES (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 48V Erie CO at 10:15 am
- Destination: 198 Elizabethtown KY
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.