Cessna 340 accident near Lincoln, MT
On June 19, 1998, a Cessna 340 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Lincoln, MT. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- June 19, 1998
- Place
- Lincoln, MT
- Aircraft
- Cessna 340 · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 47.161°N, 112.681°W
- NTSB ID
- 20001211X10419
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On June 18, 1998, approximately 2207 mountain daylight time, radio and radar contact was lost with N88JH, a Cessna 340 registered to America West Communications of Ritzville, Washington, while on a 14 CFR 91 business flight from Gallatin Field, Bozeman, Montana, to Glacier Park International Airport, Kalispell, Montana. The flight was on an instrument flight rules (IFR) flight plan from Bozeman to Kalispell at the time of the disappearance. The wreckage of N88JH was located by search and rescue forces on the morning of June 19, 1998, approximately 8 nautical miles southeast of Lincoln, Montana. The aircraft was found to be destroyed, and the private pilot-in-command, who owned America West Communications and was the airplane's sole occupant, was found to have received fatal injuries. Visual meteorological conditions were reported at Helena, Montana (approximately 30 miles southeast of the accident site) at 2156 on June 18; however, the pilot reported to air traffic controllers that he had encountered a thunderstorm just prior to the loss of contact. Air traffic control (ATC) information furnished by the FAA indicated that the pilot contacted the FAA automated flight service station (AFSS) in Great Falls, Montana, by telephone from Bozeman approximately 2051 and again approximately 2114 on the evening of the accident. In the first contact, the pilot requested the current weather in Kalispell and eastern Washington between Moses Lake and Spokane (NOTE: Ritzville, where the pilot indicated the aircraft was based when he filed his IFR flight plan for the accid
Probable cause
The pilot's improper or inadequate use of the aircraft's weather avoidance equipment, resulting in penetration of a Level 4 thunderstorm and subsequent loss of aircraft control from which the pilot did not recover. Factors included a thunderstorm and the pilot's lack of instrument currency.
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Browse: Montana · Cessna 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.
