Piper PA-32-300 accident near Fort Smith, MT
On April 29, 2000, a Piper PA-32-300 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Fort Smith, MT. 2 people died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- April 29, 2000
- Place
- Fort Smith, MT
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-32-300 · Airplane
- Injuries
- 2 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 45.409°N, 107.880°W
- NTSB ID
- 20001212X20912
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On Saturday, April 29, 2000, approximately 1045 mountain daylight time, a Piper PA-32-300, N216BC, impacted the terrain while maneuvering about 12 miles south of Fort Smith, Montana. The private pilot and his passenger received fatal injuries, and the aircraft, which was owned and operated by the pilot, was destroyed. The 14 CFR Part 91 personal pleasure flight, which departed Helena, Montana, about 90 minutes earlier, was being operated in an area where low ceilings and snow squalls had been reported. No flight plan had been filed, and there was no report of an ELT activation. According to family members, the pilot and his passenger flew from Sheridan, Wyoming, to Helena on the day prior the accident in order to visit relatives. The purpose of the subject flight was to return to their home in Sheridan. The pilot reportedly had planned to depart Helena earlier that morning, but had delayed his departure because of local weather conditions. The pilot eventually departed Helena at 0910, but failed to arrive in Sheridan as expected. He did not make use of Air Traffic Control services while en route. When the passenger did not arrive at work on Monday, May 1, a search was initiated for the aircraft. It was located the same day on a plateau in the Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area. METEOROLOGICAL INFORMATION The 1056 weather observation (METAR) taken at Billings, Montana, which is located about 48 nautical miles northwest of the accident site, at 3,649 feet above mean sea level (MSL), indicated winds 290 degrees at 9 knots, 10 statute miles visibility, li
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to maintain clearance from the terrain. Factors include low ceilings, snow, rain, and rising, mountainous/hilly terrain.
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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.
