Cessna 182Q accident near Ovid, Colorado, September 18, 1986
On September 18, 1986 at about 9:18 pm local time, a Cessna 182Q, registered N735GN, was destroyed in an accident near Ovid, Colorado. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were 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 18, 1986 · about 9:18 pm local time
- Place
- Ovid, Colorado · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182Q · all 182Qs on the register
- Registration
- N735GN · no longer on the register · serial 18265414
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT AND HIS PAX HAD FLOWN TO OGALLALA, NE, FOR BOATING AND WATER SKIING. THE NEXT DAY THE PLT CALLED HIS WIFE WHO REMINDED HIM OF AN ENGAGEMENT THAT EVENING. THE PLT CALLED THE FSS 5 DIFFERENT TIMES AND EACH TIME WAS TOLD VFR FLT WAS NOT RECOMMENDED. HE TOLD A FRIEND THAT HE WOULD FOLLOW THE INTERSTATE HIGHWAY BACK TO BOULDER, CO. IF HE COULDN'T MAKE IT, HE WOULD TURN AROUND AND COME BACK. HE SAID HE COULD ALWAYS LAND ON THE HIGHWAY IN AN EMERGENCY. THE PLT AND HIS PAX DEPARTED AT 1500 HRS. A WITNESS DESCRIBED THE WX AS LOW CEILING, REDUCED VISIBILITY, AND LIGHT DRIZZLE. THE WRECKAGE WAS DISCOVERED THE FOLLOWING MORNING 0.5 MI SOUTH OF INTERSTATE HIGHWAY AND 33 MI WEST OF OGALLALA. THE ACFT CRASHED ON A HEADING BACK TO OGALLALA. THE ACFT CLOCK HAD STOPPED AT 3:18 HRS.
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: 210 hours in all; 163 in this make and model; 13 in the last 90 days; 2 in the last 30 days; 46 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,807 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 31, 1986; 12 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,950 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-U (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: OGA Ogallala NV at 8:45 pm
- Destination: 1V5 Boulder CO
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 090° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 1 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded at 300 ft
- Temperature: 57°F (14°C), dew point 52°F (11°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:31 pm from LBF, 32 miles away
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.