# Accident 19970907025569A: Cessna 182N, Montrose, CO, September 7, 1997

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: September 7, 1997, 18:30 local time
- Place: Montrose, CO
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: Fcd/Prec Ldg From Cruise
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 38.4688° N, 107.8590° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs: center of Montrose, CO, within about 6 miles (OpenAirDocs)
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=38.4688&lon=-107.8590&mi=10
- Aircraft: N9043G, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N9043G-2003-09-22) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Cessna 182N (registry code 2072730, https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-182n) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Continental O-470 series (registry code 17026, https://openairdocs.org/engine/continental-o-470-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: CESSNA 182N
- Reported engine: CONT O470R
- People aboard: 3
- Fatal injuries: 3
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB FTW97FA340](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/FTW97FA340) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19970907025569A

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

(.4) THE ACCIDENT AIRCRAFT DEPARTED AN AIRPORT LOCATED AT 5,759 FEET MSL AND WAS CLIMBING UNDER VISUAL CONDITIONS INTO RISING TERRAIN TOPPING AT 10,000 FEET MSL. ACCORDING TO A WITNESS, LOCATED APPROXIMATELY 200 YARDS FROM THE ACCIDENT SITE, HE OBSERVED THE AIRCRAFT FLYING LOW OVER THE TREES IN A SOUTHERLY DIRECTION. THE WITNESS SAID HE LOOKED AWAY AND WHEN HE LOOKED BACK THE AIRCRAFT HAD IMPACTED INTO TREES AT 9.705 FEET MSL 17.3 MILES FROM THE AIRPORT. INVESTIGATION REVEALED THE FLAPS WERE DEPLOYED BETWEEN 5 AND 10 DEGREES. ACCORDING TO PERFORMANCE CHARTS, THE MAXIMUM RATE OF CLIMB AT 10,000 FEET MSL WAS CALCULATED TO BE 325 FEET-PER-MINUTE, BASED ON THE TEMPERATURE BEING 40 DEGREES ABOVE STANDARD. THE CHART IS BASED ON FLAPS UP, AN INDICATED AIRSPEED OF 85 MPH, AND PROPER LEANING OF THE ENGINE. THE AIRCRAFT WEIGHT WAS CALCULATED AS 2,957.9 POUNDS AND THE MAXIMUM ALLOWED WEIGHT, EXCEPT FOR TAKEOFF, WAS 2,950 POUNDS.

## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1)

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

- [NTSB FTW97FA340](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/FTW97FA340), Sep 8, 1997: Cessna 182N (N9043G), Montrose, CO, destroyed, 3 fatal. Probable cause: Inadequate preflight and in-flight planning, preparation and decision making. A related factor was the improper use of flaps.

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

---
OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.
