Cessna 182P accident near Great Falls, Montana, April 27, 1988
On April 27, 1988 at about 1:30 am local time, a Cessna 182P, registered N79P, was destroyed in an accident near Great Falls, Montana (Great Falls Int'L airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people had minor injuries. 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
- April 27, 1988 · about 1:30 am local time
- Place
- Great Falls, Montana · Great Falls Int'L · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182P · all 182Ps on the register
- Registration
- N79P · no longer on the register · serial 182062669
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PRIVATE PLT WAS RETURNING HOME FROM A PERSONAL TRANSPORTATION FLIGHT WITH ONE PAX, ANOTHER PRIVATE PLT. BOTH MEN REPORTED THAT WHILE ON FINAL FOR RNWY 25, THE SUN WAS IN THEIR EYES AND HINDERED THEIR VISION. THE PLT IN COMMAND STATED THAT HE CANNOT REMEMBER TRIMMING THE ACFT FOR LANDING AND CANNOT REMEMBER FLARING FOR TOUCHDOWN. THE PAX REPORTED A SUDDEN NOSE DOWN ATTITUDE AFTER PASSING THE THRESHOLD. THE PAX GRABBED THE YOKE AND APPLIED FULL UP ELEVATOR. THE ACFT IMPACTED THE RNWY NOSE LOW AND COLLAPSED THE NOSE GEAR. A POST ACCIDENT FIRE DESTROYED THE ACFT FROM THE FIREWALL AFT.
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: 174 hours in all; 103 in this make and model; 11 in the last 90 days; 142 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,518 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 2, 1988; 25 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,950 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-R (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: BIL Billings MT
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 25, 4,320 ft by 75 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Wind: from 260° at 10 knots, gusting 13
- Visibility: 25 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 50°F (10°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 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.