Cessna 177B accident near Chinook, MT
On October 9, 2003, a Cessna 177B (airplane) was involved in an accident near Chinook, MT. 2 people died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- October 9, 2003
- Place
- Chinook, MT
- Aircraft
- Cessna 177B · Airplane
- Injuries
- 2 fatal, 1 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 48.510°N, 109.274°W
- NTSB ID
- 20031017X01769
Official records · SEA04FA003
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On October 9, 2003, approximately 1720 mountain daylight time, a Cessna 177B, N30921, collided with a tree during an attempted engine-out forced landing about five miles south of Chinook, Montana. The private pilot and one of his passengers received fatal injuries, and a second passenger received serious injuries. The aircraft, which was owned and operated by the pilot, was destroyed by a post-impact fire. The 14 CFR Part 91 personal cross-country flight, which departed Great Falls, Montana, about 50 minutes earlier, was being operated in visual meteorological conditions. No flight plan had been filed. There was no report of an ELT activation, and the ELT itself was destroyed by the fire. According to family members, the pilot and his front seat passenger flew from Poplar, Montana, to Great Falls earlier that morning in order to attend court proceedings that involved a member of their extended family. While in Great Falls, the pilot offered another individual, who had come to Great Falls from Poplar, in order to attend the same event, the opportunity to fly back to Poplar in his aircraft. This person eventually became the back seat passenger. The pilot and his two passengers returned to the Great Falls Airport around 1545, and according to Great Falls Tower personnel, the aircraft took off for Poplar at 1621. Recorded radar data shows that after takeoff, the aircraft made a left downwind departure and headed northeast, paralleling Highway 87. While en route, the pilot climbed to about 6,000 feet, and stayed within a couple hundred feet of that altitude unt
Probable cause
The total loss of engine power in cruise flight due to the separation of the carburetor from its mounting bolts, and the pilot's failure to adequately compensate for strong crosswinds while attempting the subsequent forced landing. Additional factors include strong crosswinds, a tree immediately adjacent to the gravel road that the pilot chose to land on, and the pilot's impairment due to recent u
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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.
