Cessna 182 accident near Pryor, Montana, October 13, 2009
On October 13, 2009 at about 5:41 pm local time, a Cessna 182, registered N6202A, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute near Pryor, 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 pilot’s decision to continue flight into an area of low ceilings and low visibility and his failure to maintain clearance from terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 13, 2009 · about 5:41 pm local time
- Place
- Pryor, Montana · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182 · all 182s on the register
- Registration
- N6202A · registry record · serial 33002
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was returning to his departure airport. He contacted family members before his departure and indicated that his arrival would be delayed due to poor weather conditions along the route of flight. Review of the global positioning data obtained from a handheld global-positioning-system unit showed that the first portion of the pilot's route of flight was direct between his departure and destination, in a general west-northwesterly direction. Near the end of the flight the flight track showed a 360-degree turn to the right, followed by a path to the south, then 180-degrees to the north, followed by a turn to the south. The last data points showed a westerly track. Examination of the wreckage did not reveal any preimpact mechanical anomalies. While the weather at the accident site at the time of the accident included low clouds and low visibility with fog, the investigation was unable to conclusively determine if the flight cleared the lowest cloud ceiling.
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
- Controlled flight into terrain or object (CFIT) during enroute defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Planning/preparation › Weather planning › Pilot
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Ceiling/visibility/precip › Low ceiling › Not specified
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Ceiling/visibility/precip › Low visibility › Not specified
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Altitude › Not attained/maintained
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Terrain › Mountainous/hilly terrain › Contributed to outcome
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 726 hours in all; 170 in this make and model; 23 in the last 90 days; 15 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,799 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 1, 2008; 100 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,650 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-L (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SHR Sheridan WY at 5:00 pm
- Destination: 6S8 Laurel MT
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 1,000 ft; ovct at 1,000 ft
- Temperature: 28°F (-2°C), dew point 25°F (-4°C)
- Altimeter: 29.95 inHg
- Observation at 5:53 pm from BIL, 27 miles away
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.