Cessna 180 accident near Great Falls, Montana, June 18, 2006
On June 18, 2006 at about 8:30 pm local time, a Cessna 180, registered N2251C, was substantially damaged in an accident near Great Falls, Montana (Great Falls Intl airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind 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 adequately compensate for wind conditions. A crosswind was a factor.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 18, 2006 · about 8:30 pm local time
- Place
- Great Falls, Montana · Great Falls Intl · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 180 · all 180s on the register
- Registration
- N2251C · no longer on the register · serial 30551
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
In a written statement the pilot reported that during the takeoff roll, near rotation speed, the tail-wheel equipped Cessna was "hit" by a gust of wind. He stated the right wing "went up" and the airplane veered to the left. The pilot was unable to correct the situation and the airplane subsequently exited runway 34. The pilot reported that at some point during this sequence of events, the right main landing gear collapsed. The accident report submitted by the pilot indicated that there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the aircraft at the time of the accident.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea
- Flight time: 555 hours in all; 337 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 3
The aircraft
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-U (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: GTF Great Falls MT
- Destination: FNL Fort Collins/Lo CO
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 34
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.