Maule M-4-220C accident near Hungry Horse, MT
On April 1, 2009, a Maule M-4-220C (airplane) was involved in an accident near Hungry Horse, MT. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- April 1, 2009
- Place
- Hungry Horse, MT
- Aircraft
- Maule M-4-220C · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 48.108°N, 113.710°W
- NTSB ID
- 20090402X03139
Official records · WPR09FA176
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On April 1, 2009, about 1630 mountain daylight time, a Maule M-4-220C, N2007U, impacted the frozen surface of a reservoir near Hungry Horse, Montana. The pilot was operating the airplane under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. The certificated private pilot was killed; the airplane was destroyed by impact forces. The personal local flight departed Glacier Park International Airport (KGPI), Kalispell, Montana, at 1602. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the departure airport, and no flight plan had been filed. Radar data provided by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) revealed that a target departed Kalispell at 1602:48 using a discreet transponder code of 1200. The target climbed on a northeast course to 4,500 feet mean sea level (msl) as reported by the mode C transponder. Three miles northeast of the departure airport the target made a 360-degree left turn before continuing on the original track. Over the course of the next 2 minutes the target continued climbing until 1608:36; this was the last radar return and was received at an altitude of 5,100 feet, about 2 miles west of the town of Hungry Horse. A handheld global positioning systems (GPS) Garmin GPS III was recovered from the airplane. The unit was sent to the National Transportation Safety Board Office of Research and Engineering for data extraction. The data revealed a flight track that closely matched the radar data and did not contain altitude information. The airplane flew about 1 mile beyond the last radar return, and then changed course to the s
Probable cause
The pilot's improper decision to continue flight into an area of reduced visibility and snow showers during cruise flight, which resulted in the pilot's spatial disorientation and subsequent loss of aircraft control.
More accidents in MT
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Browse: Montana · Maule 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.
