Cessna 310N accident near Ekalaka, MT
On October 7, 2007, a Cessna 310N (airplane) was involved in an accident near Ekalaka, MT. 2 people died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- October 7, 2007
- Place
- Ekalaka, MT
- Aircraft
- Cessna 310N · Airplane
- Injuries
- 2 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 45.686°N, 104.750°W
- NTSB ID
- 20071022X01626
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On October 7, 2007, about 1148 mountain daylight time, a Cessna 310N, N85WT, collided with terrain approximately 15 miles south of Ekalaka, Montana. The private pilot, who was the owner and operator of the airplane, and the one passenger aboard were killed. The airplane sustained substantial damage. The airplane was operated as an instrument flight rules (IFR) cross-country flight under the provisions of Title 14, Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91. The flight departed Bozeman, Montana, (BZN) at 1002 with an intended destination of Dells Airport (DLL), Baraboo, Wisconsin. Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed for portions of the flight; however, visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the accident site. An instrument flight plan was in effect for the flight. Air traffic control (ATC) information obtained from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) indicated that the airplane was at a cruise altitude of 13,000 feet mean sea level (msl). At 1130, the pilot reported to ATC that he was encountering "light icing." At 1134 the pilot requested a lower altitude, stating "...I think we might take lower when possible." ATC cleared the flight to descend from 13,000 feet to 12,000 feet msl. At 1137, the pilot again requested a lower altitude and was cleared to 11,000 feet. At 1145 the pilot reported that he was encountering icing conditions stating "... I think I'm going to be going down but trying to stay on course." At 1146, ATC received a radio transmission believed to be from the pilot stating "problems" followed by "..five whiskey tango w
Probable cause
The pilot's improper in-flight planning/decision, his continued flight into adverse weather (icing conditions), and failure to maintain an adequate airspeed during the emergency descent for landing. Contributing to the accident were the forecast icing conditions.
More accidents in MT
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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.
