- Date
- June 15, 2025, 11:00 local (17:00 UTC)
- Place
- Willow Creek, MT · livestock field
- Injuries
- 5 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N71450Cessna 182M
- Defining event
- Enroute-climb to cruise: Fuel exhaustion
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Western Pacific Region
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration
- FAA report
- 20250615006509A
- Case key
- 200332
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The pilot’s inadequate preflight inspection and fuel planning, which resulted in a total loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion.
Findings · 4
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
According to the pilot, he did not visually confirm the quantity of fuel in the fuel tanks before departure. While about 3,500 ft above ground level the engine began to lose power. Subsequently, the engine lost all power, and the pilot turned back toward the departure airport. The pilot realized that the airplane would not be able to glide to the departure airport and attempted to land on a nearby grass runway. Unable to land on the grass runway due to obstacles, the pilot initiated a forced landing to a field. During the landing, the airplane struck a metal cattle gate, resulting in substantial damage to the left wing lift strut, horizontal stabilizer, and elevator. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. During aircraft recovery, both left and right wing fuel tanks were found to be empty; no evidence of a breach in either fuel tank was noted.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N71450
- Reported as
- Cessna 182M
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 18259627
- Built
- 1969
- Airframe hours
- 5,311.35
- Engine
- Continental IO-550-D, 300 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Skydiving · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · September 11, 2024 · 84.51 hours before
- Departed
- 9S5 · Three Forks, MT
- Equipment
- Electronic primary flight display, ADS-B
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
- 27
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Private, Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- April 30, 2025
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 886 total · 542 in this make and model · 787 as pilot in command · 77.6 in the last 90 days · 48.8 in the last 30 days · 4.6 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 73 °F, dew point 54 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.08 inHg
- Observed at
- KBZN, 23 nm away
- METAR
- KBZN 151656Z VRB03KT 10SM CLR 23/12 A3008 RMK AO2 SLP145 T02280117=
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on August 11, 2025, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 2.9 MB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.