Cessna 182C accident near Circle, Montana, April 6, 2013
On April 6, 2013 at about 4:45 pm local time, a 1960 Cessna 182C, registered N8721T, was destroyed in an accident during enroute near Circle, Montana (Private Airstrip airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s failure to maintain airplane control as a result of spatial disorientation. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s decision to continue flight into low visibility conditions.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 6, 2013 · about 4:45 pm local time
- Place
- Circle, Montana · Private Airstrip · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182C, built 1960 · all 182Cs on the register
- Registration
- N8721T · no longer on the register · serial 52621
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot departed the private airstrip in visual flight rules conditions and proceeded south for 27 miles toward a small town. While near the town, he made a mobile phone call to a family member and reported that there was fog near the river (along his route of flight) but that it was clear on the other side. The mobile phone connection then dropped, and the pilot made no further communications. The airplane wreckage was located 22 miles south of the town where the pilot made the phone call. Examination of the airplane wreckage revealed damage and ground scars consistent with a high-energy vertical impact, and no evidence of preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures was found that would have precluded normal operation. The local meteorological observations and satellite imagery indicated that the airplane likely encountered instrument meteorological conditions (IMC), low clouds, and restricted visibility throughout the area about the time of the accident. The pilot had recently received his private pilot certificate, had accumulated 93 hours of total flight time, and did not hold an airplane instrument rating. The IMC combined with the pilot's lack of instrument flight experience likely led to his becoming spatially disoriented, which resulted in the loss of airplane control.
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
- Loss of control in flight during enroute defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during enroute
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Psychological › Perception/orientation/illusion › Spatial disorientation › Pilot
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Ceiling/visibility/precip › Low visibility › Effect on personnel
- Personnel issues › Experience/knowledge › (general) › (general) › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › (general) › Not attained/maintained
- factor Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Pilot
- Personnel issues › Experience/knowledge › Experience/qualifications › Total instrument experience › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 93 hours in all; 26 in this make and model; 28 in the last 90 days; 16 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: January 25, 2013
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 7,554 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 28, 2012; 30 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,650 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental Motors O-470-L(9)F (piston); 1,025 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Lustre MT at 4:30 pm
- Destination: Acton MT
- Flight plan: not recorded
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 350° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 1,500 ft
- Temperature: 37°F (3°C), dew point 30°F (-1°C)
- Observation at 4:28 pm from KOLF, 27 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 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.