Cessna 182Q accident near Lincoln, Montana, September 30, 1991
On September 30, 1991 at about 1:00 am local time, a Cessna 182Q, registered N759SN, was destroyed in an accident near Lincoln, Montana. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE IMPROPER INFLIGHT PLANNING/DECISION BY THE PILOT TO CONTINUE VFR FLIGHT INTO IMC CONDITIONS. FACTORS RELATING TO THE ACCIDENT WERE THE MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN IN THE AREA, AND THE LOW CEILINGS AND CLOUDS OBSCURING THE MOUNTAINS.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 30, 1991 · about 1:00 am local time
- Place
- Lincoln, Montana · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182Q · all 182Qs on the register
- Registration
- N759SN · no longer on the register · serial 18266224
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT WAS OBSERVED FLYING AT A LOW ALTITUDE AGL, FOLLOWING A ROAD INTO A MOUNTAIN PASS THAT WAS OBSCURED IN CLOUDS AND FOG. THE ACFT IMPACTED STEEP UPSLOPING TERRAIN ON A MOUNTAIN PEAK NEAR THE CREST OF THE MOUNTAIN CHAIN, 3 MILES FROM THE ROAD SUMMIT THROUGH THE PASS. EVIDENCE ON THE WRECKAGE INDICATED THE EXTERIOR OF THE ACFT WAS WET WHEN IT IMPACTED THE GROUND.
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: 496 hours in all; 22 in the last 90 days; 5 in the last 30 days; 480 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,921 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 9, 1991; 26 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,950 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-U (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 52S St Ignatius MT
- Destination: 79S Ft Benton MT
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 340° at 5 knots
- Sky: broken clouds at 3,100 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 55°F (13°C), dew point 37°F (3°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.