- Date
- April 26, 1988, 19:30 local (Apr 27, 1988, 01:30 UTC)
- Place
- Great Falls, MT
- Injuries
- 2 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N79PCessna 182P
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Dusk
- Status
- Completed · report March 13, 1989
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19880426011519A
- Case key
- 17466
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The private plt was returning home from a personal transportation flight with one pax, another private plt. Both men reported that while on final for rnwy 25, the sun was in their eyes and hindered their vision. The plt in command stated that he cannot remember trimming the acft for landing and cannot remember flaring for touchdown. The pax reported a sudden nose down attitude after passing the threshold. The pax grabbed the yoke and applied full up elevator. The acft impacted the rnwy nose low and collapsed the nose gear. A post accident fire destroyed the acft from the firewall aft.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N79P
- Reported as
- Cessna 182P
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 182062669
- Airframe hours
- 2,518
- Engine
- Continental O-470-R, 230 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- N79p, Incorporated
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · February 2, 1988 · 25 hours before
- Departed
- BIL · Billings, MT
- Flight plan
- VFR
- Airport
- GTF · Great Falls Int'L, runway 25, 4,320 × 75 ft, asphalt
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 40
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 174 total · 103 in this make and model · 142 as pilot in command · 11 in the last 90 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Dusk
- Wind
- 260° at 10 knots, gusting 13
- Visibility
- 25 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 50 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.