Cessna 172P accident near Townsend, MT
On August 20, 2015, a Cessna 172P (airplane) was involved in an accident near Townsend, MT. 2 people died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- August 20, 2015
- Place
- Townsend, MT
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172P · Airplane
- Injuries
- 2 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 46.655°N, 111.559°W
- NTSB ID
- 20150820X12626
Official records · WPR15FA247
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn August 19, 2015, about 2230 mountain daylight time, a Cessna 172P, N62731, was substantially damaged after it collided with mountainous terrain near Townsend, Montana. The private pilot and passenger were fatally injured. The airplane was registered to and operated by the pilot as a personal flight under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. Night visual meteorological conditions prevailed about the time of the accident, and a flight plan was not filed for the local flight. The flight originated from Helena Regional Airport (HLN) about 2215, and was destined for White Sulphur Springs Airport (7S6), White Sulphur Springs, Montana. According to the pilot's wife, her husband departed 76S for HLN about 2000 to pick-up a friend who was scheduled to arrive on a commercial flight at 2100. He landed approximately 45 minutes later, picked up the passenger and then called his wife at 2211 before they departed on the accident flight. On the following morning, Salt Lake Center recorded an emergency locator transmitter signal near Bozeman, Montana, that was also picked up by a low flying aircraft. The pilot's flight instructor, who was the Chief of Safety for the Montana Department of Aeronautics, subsequently initiated an aerial search, and located the airplane about 0830. The accident pilot's wife reported that her husband had flown from 7S6 to HLN twice on the day of the accident. During the first trip, her husband collected some belongings from Helena, and then returned to their home in White Sulphur Springs, Montana. The pilot's wife ha
Probable cause
The non-instrument-rated pilot's decision to conduct a cross-country flight over a mountain range in dark night conditions with limited night flight experience, which resulted in a collision with mountainous terrain.
More accidents in MT
- Pilatus PC-12/45, Mar 22, 2009
- Beech D18S, Jul 5, 1987
- Cessna 550, Dec 18, 1992
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- Cessna 182C, May 12, 2007
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.
