Cessna 182RG accident near Boulder, Montana, November 25, 1987
On November 25, 1987 at about 11:00 pm local time, a Cessna 182RG, registered N2283T, was destroyed in an accident near Boulder, 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
- November 25, 1987 · about 11:00 pm local time
- Place
- Boulder, Montana · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182RG · all 182RGs on the register
- Registration
- N2283T · no longer on the register · serial R18200018
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WHILE ON A CROSS COUNTRY FLT AT 6000 FT MSL, THE ENG LOST POWER. EXAM OF THE ACFT REVEALED THAT THE LEFT FUEL TANK CONTAINED 23 GALLONS WHILE THE RIGHT WAS EMPTY. THE FUEL SELECTOR WAS FOUND ON THE EMPTY TANK. THE ACFT WAS DESTROYED DURING THE EMERGENCY LANDING ON ROUGH UNEVEN TERRAIN.
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: 338 hours in all; 37 in this make and model; 12 in the last 90 days; 284 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,260 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, September 11, 1987; 57 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,100 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming O-540-J3C5D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: VNY Van Nuys CA
- Destination: HLN Helena MT
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 350° at 14 knots
- Visibility: 25 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 9,000 ft
- Temperature: 30°F (-1°C), dew point 19°F (-7°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:47 pm from BTM, 40 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.