Cessna 182D accident near Roundup, Montana, September 5, 2011
On September 5, 2011 at about 1:15 pm local time, a Cessna 182D, registered N8772X, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (flare/touchdown) near Roundup, 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).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain clearance from an obstacle during the landing flare.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 5, 2011 · about 1:15 pm local time · cases in 2011
- Place
- Roundup, Montana · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182D · all 182Ds on the register
- Registration
- N8772X · registry record · serial 18253172
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that prior to landing on a dirt road he overflew the area, noting a group of cows nearby before entering a left-hand pattern for his intended landing area. During the landing flare, the pilot observed a cow approaching the flight path of the airplane from his left and attempted to maneuver the airplane to avoid a collision. Subsequently, the left main landing gear struck the cow and the airplane immediately veered to the left. Despite the pilot's control inputs, the airplane continued to the left, landed hard, bounced, and settled back onto the ground. A postaccident examination of the airplane by the pilot revealed structural damage to the left elevator, horizontal stabilizer, and engine firewall. The pilot reported no preimpact 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
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing (flare/touchdown)
- Loss of control in flight during landing (flare/touchdown)
- Hard landing during landing (flare/touchdown) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Psychological › Attention/monitoring › Task monitoring/vigilance › Pilot
- cause Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Animal(s)/bird(s) › Response/compensation
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Incorrect action performance › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 600 hours in all; 200 in this make and model; 10 in the last 90 days; 5 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: October 31, 2009
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,208 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 21, 2011; 5 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,650 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Cont Motor O-470 SERIES (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Roundup MT at 1:10 pm
- Destination: Roundup MT
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: dawn
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 36°F (2°C), dew point 25°F (-4°C)
- Altimeter: 29.85 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
1 document, released by the NTSB on September 22, 2011. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N8772X on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Cessna 182 Skylane 11,834 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Cessna 72,676 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Cont Motor O-470 SERIES 12,780 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Accidents and incidents in Montana 1,121 since 1982 · 166 in the last ten years
- Montana 6,045 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/WPR11CA439.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.