Cessna 180 accident near Cascade, Montana, August 8, 1988
On August 8, 1988, a Cessna 180, registered N1509C, was substantially damaged in an accident near Cascade, Montana. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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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 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 8, 1988
- Place
- Cascade, Montana · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 180 · all 180s on the register
- Registration
- N1509C · registry record · serial 30209
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT WAS LANDING AT AN UNATTENDED AIRSTRIP WITH A 1000' DIRT RWY. THERE WAS A NORTHERLY WIND, BUT DUE TO THE SLOPING RWY TERRAIN, HE ELECTED TO USE RWY 19 & LAND UPHILL WITH A TAILWIND. THE PLT RPRTED THAT AS HE WAS ABOUT TO FLARE, THE ACFT PITCHED DOWN & HE PULLED BACK ON THE YOKE & ADDED POWER. HOWEVER, THE ACFT IMPACTED ON UPWARD SLOPING RWY & WAS EXTENSIVELY DAMAGED. THE ACFT THEN SLID ABOUT 100' BEFORE COMING TO REST. AFTER EXITING THE ACFT, THE PLT NOTED STRONG GUSTS OF WIND FROM THE NORTH. HE ESTD THE WIND WAS FROM 010 AT 5 GUSTING 15 KTS.
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: 408 hours in all; 193 in this make and model; 74 in the last 90 days; 57 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,969 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 19, 1988; 58 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,550 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-J (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: COE Coeur D'Alene ID at 10:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 19, 1,000 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 010° at 5 knots, gusting 15
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 10,000 ft
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Observation at 5:50 pm from GTF
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.
Other NTSB records under N1509C the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number DEN88LA181.