Piper PA-28-181 accident near Butte, MT
On December 17, 2005, a Piper PA-28-181 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Butte, MT. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- December 17, 2005
- Place
- Butte, MT
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-181 · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 45.849°N, 112.451°W
- NTSB ID
- 20051220X01995
NTSB summary
On December 16, 2005, approximately 1750 mountain standard time, a Piper PA-28-181, N4350F, impacted trees in mountainous terrain about eight miles southeast of Bert Mooney Airport, Butte, Montana. The private pilot, who was the sole occupant, 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 Miles City, Montana, about three hours prior to the accident, was en route to Bert Mooney Airport. No flight plan had been filed. The ELT, which was activated by the accident sequence, aided in the location of the accident site. On the day of the accident, the pilot departed Miles City around 1500 in order to fly to Butte, where he was going to meet a friend that he was going to go hunting with. According to his wife, he had earlier checked the weather through the Meteorlogix on-line aviation weather service, and he also had topped off the fuel tanks of his aircraft. After departure, he climbed to about 10,000 feet, and then by use of his cell phone, he contacted the individual in Butte that he was going to go hunting with. The pilot told this individual what altitude he was at, and said that he was above the clouds. He then asked if it was snowing in Butte at that time, and the hunting partner told him that it was not snowing, and that the sky was partly cloudy with areas of blue. The pilot then stated that he hoped to arrive there in about two and one-half hours, and then that was the end of the conversation. About the same time, the pilot used his cell phone to call Butte A
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to maintain clearance from the terrain during low-level maneuvering at night. Factors included the pilot’s improper in-flight decision to continue into an area that was forecasted to possibly contain snow, fog, and low ceilings. Additional factors included his failure to obtain a weather update while en route, a dark night, mountainous terrain, trees, snow showers, fog, and the
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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.
