Cessna 180 accident near Cut Bank, Montana, July 9, 2018
On July 9, 2018 at about 6:00 pm local time, a 1953 Cessna 180, registered N180GB, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (landing roll) near Cut Bank, Montana (Cut Bank Intl airport). 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 pilot's failure to maintain directional control during the landing roll.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 9, 2018 · about 6:00 pm local time
- Place
- Cut Bank, Montana · Cut Bank Intl · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 180 Undesignat, built 1953 · all 180s on the register
- Registration
- N180GB · registry record · serial 30498
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
According to the pilot in the tailwheel-equipped airplane, he circled the airport to check the wind direction and speed and then he initiated a final approach about 70 knots with 3 notches of flaps. He reported that the airplane encountered a wind gust before he initiated the landing flare. Upon touchdown, the airplane bounced, and he applied forward yoke pressure. The airplane began to drift right of the runway centerline during the landing roll, and he applied left rudder and left aileron to counter the drift, but when the tailwheel touched down, the airplane veered left. He applied right rudder and right brake, but the right main landing gear collapsed, the left wing lifted, and the right wing struck the ground. The airplane exited the left side of the runway, and it came to rest in the grass safety area. The airplane sustained substantial damage to right wing spar. The pilot reported that, about the time of the accident, the wind was about 7 knots from the west-southwest. The pilot landed the airplane on runway 32. The METAR at the airport reported that, about the time of the accident, the wind was calm and the skies were clear. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
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
What happened, in order
- Other weather encounter during landing (landing roll)
- Abnormal runway contact during landing (landing roll)
- Loss of control on ground during landing (landing roll) defining event
- Attempted remediation/recovery during landing (landing roll)
- Landing gear collapse during landing (landing roll)
- Runway excursion during landing (landing roll)
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing (landing roll)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Directional control › Not attained/maintained
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,163.1 hours in all; 176.5 in this make and model; 118.4 in the last 90 days; 58.7 in the last 30 days; 3,141.6 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: December 1, 2017
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,273.9 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 20, 2018
- Maximum gross weight: 2,550 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470 (piston); 3,387 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: CYQE Red Deer at 3:12 pm
- Destination: CTB Cut Bank MT
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 32, 5,300 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 41°F (5°C)
- Altimeter: 30.12 inHg
- Observation at 5:56 pm from KCTB
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight 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.