History of Flight
On October 13, 2009, at 1141 mountain daylight time, a Cessna 182, registration N6202A, collided with terrain approximately 14 miles east-northeast of Pryor, Montana. The private pilot, who owned the aircraft, operated under 14 CFR Part 91. The pilot and one passenger were killed. The airplane sustained substantial damage. The flight departed from Sheridan County Airport, Sheridan, Wyoming, around 1100, destined for Laurel Municipal Airport, Laurel, Montana.
A family member reported that the pilot and passenger had departed from Laurel at 0700 to work in Sheridan, landing about 0815. The pilot contacted a family member, noting that the return flight would take longer due to poor weather. When the airplane did not arrive, family members initiated a search. Low visibility and cloud layers hindered aerial search. Wreckage was located by volunteers on the morning of October 14.
An airport lineman at Sheridan reported that the airplane landed between 0800 and 0900. The pilot requested full fuel tanks. The pilot and passenger left and returned about 1045, departing at 1100. The lineman, also a private pilot, described the weather as poor with limited visibility and cold temperatures.
Personnel Information
The pilot, aged 58, held a private pilot certificate issued September 20, 2004, and a first-class medical certificate issued September 10, 2009, with no limitations. A recovered logbook, started in March 2008, noted a last entry on October 10, 2009, with 724.3 hours in single-engine airplanes. The pilot attended the Montana Department of Aeronautics 2009 Mountain Search Pilot Clinic in September, accruing 2.7 hours of instruction.
Additional logbook copies from the family showed that the last flight review was noted as September 9, 2007, at the 2007 clinic. Due to program changes, the 2009 clinic no longer served as a flight review. It could not be determined if the pilot thought he satisfied the requirement. No record of a current flight review was found. Instructors from the 2007 and 2009 clinics recommended additional flight instruction.
Aircraft Information
The four-seat, fixed-gear, high-wing Cessna 182 (serial number 33002) was manufactured in 1956. It was powered by a Teledyne Continental Motors O-470-L-1 engine (serial number 66002-5-L) with a McCauley 2A36C1-TS propeller (serial number 55567). The last annual inspection was on October 1, 2008, at 3,798.89 total aircraft hours and 1,411.89 tachometer hours. The last maintenance entry was an oil change on March 14, 2009, at 1,435.8 tachometer hours.
Meteorological Information
The nearest weather reporting facility was Billings Logan International Airport, about 27 miles northwest of the accident site. At 1153, conditions were: wind calm, visibility 10 statute miles, overcast ceiling at 1,000 feet, temperature minus 2°C, dew point minus 4°C, altimeter 29.95 inHg. The accident site was in a remote area without weather observation. AIRMETs Sierra (mountain obscuration) and Zulu (icing) Update 2 were in effect. Search and rescue volunteers reported low fog over the area at the time.
Wreckage and Impact
The airplane impacted sloped terrain of a canyon side wall, creating a debris field approximately 200 feet long. The first impact point was a line in the dirt leading to a large crater. Below the crater were three distinct marks: left to center 4 feet, right to center 3 feet 3 inches. The nose landing gear was about 10 feet below these marks. About 10 feet from the crater, the engine, propeller, and firewall were found. The propeller remained attached. Debris included portions of the right aileron, left outboard elevator, and outboard right wing section. The main wreckage was about 40 feet from the right wing. The inboard right wing was intertwined with the main wreckage. The debris field also contained the right door, left occupant seat, left wing, and left door.
Additional Information
A Garmin handheld GPS was recovered and sent to the NTSB Recorders Laboratory. Data showed the last flight originated from Sheridan, traveling west-northwesterly toward Laurel. Altitude ranged from 4,500 to 5,500 feet. Near the end, the track showed a 360-degree right turn, then continued south, turned right north, then left south. In the last two minutes, ground speed varied from 72 to 182 mph, with a second-to-last reading of 11 mph and a final 139 mph. Last data points showed a westerly track.