Piper PA-28R-180 accident near Pray, MT
On June 27, 1996, a Piper PA-28R-180 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Pray, MT. 2 people died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- June 27, 1996
- Place
- Pray, MT
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28R-180 · Airplane
- Injuries
- 2 fatal, 1 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 45.309°N, 110.761°W
- NTSB ID
- 20001208X06100
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On June 27, 1996, approximately 1233 mountain daylight time, a Piper PA-28R-180, N7529J, was destroyed in a collision with terrain following a loss of control during an aborted landing at the Chico Hot Springs Lodge airstrip near Pray, Montana. The private pilot and one passenger were fatally injured. Another passenger was seriously injured. The 14 CFR 91 flight originated at Salt Lake City International Airport, Salt Lake City, Utah. Visual meteorological conditions existed and no flight plan had been filed. The surviving passenger submitted a written statement through her attorney, in which she characterized the flight from Salt Lake as "very smooth and uneventful" before the accident. However, she stated that she had no recollection of the accident sequence beyond the point at which the airplane cleared a car which was blocking the approach end of the airstrip to vehicle traffic. She did recall the pilot referring to an airport directory before landing at the lodge, but did not recall him "asking anyone at Chico about the winds, which he usually did in the past trips there," or being given wind information by the lodge airstrip operators over the UNICOM frequency on which the lodge airstrip operates. Witnesses to the accident reported that the airplane touched down two to three times during its landing attempt. One witness reported that during one touchdown, he observed the airplane drift to the west edge of the pavement and then become airborne again. The witnesses stated that as the airplane approached the end of the landing surface, it became airborn
Probable cause
the pilot's delay in initiating a go-around, and his failure to obtain and/or maintain sufficient airspeed to avoid higher terrain during the go-around, which resulted in a stall and collision with terrain. Factors relating to the accident were: the narrow landing area, variable/gusty crosswind conditions, the resultant lack of directional control during the landing, high density altitude, and mou
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Browse: Montana · Piper aircraft
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
