Cessna 172 accident near Seeley Lake, MT
On September 13, 2020, a Cessna 172 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Seeley Lake, MT. 2 people died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- September 13, 2020
- Place
- Seeley Lake, MT
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172 · Airplane
- Injuries
- 2 fatal, 1 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 47.197°N, 113.445°W
- NTSB ID
- 20200913X42027
Official records · WPR20LA304
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn September 12, 2020, about 2152 mountain daylight time, a Cessna 172H airplane, N3720R, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Seeley Lake, Montana. The pilot and one passenger were fatally injured, and one passenger was seriously injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. According to a representative of the flying club that owned the airplane, the airplane was based at Seeley Lake Airport (23S), and the pilot was a club member. The representative reported that earlier on the day of the accident, the pilot flew the airplane from 23S to Bowman Field Airport (3U3), Anaconda, Montana, where he and the passengers participated in a golf event. The accident occurred as the airplane approached 23S on the return flight from 3U3. A witness, who was located at 23S, heard the airplane fly towards the airport from the south and continue past the airport to the north until he could no longer hear it. A witness near the accident site reported that the airplane’s engine “sputtered” before the airplane impacted the ground. The surviving occupant had no recollection of the accident or the circumstances surrounding it. Local law enforcement personnel began a search for the airplane after witnesses reported hearing a crash, and they located the accident site early on September 13, 2020, about 3/4-mile north of 23S. PERSONNEL INFORMATIONThe pilot held a private pilot certificate with an airplane single-engine land rating and was not instrument rated. The pilot was issued a Federal Aviatio
Probable cause
The noninstrument-rated pilot’s encounter with instrument meteorological conditions during a night visual approach due to wildfire smoke, which resulted in controlled flight into terrain.
More accidents in MT
- Pilatus PC-12/45, Mar 22, 2009
- Beech D18S, Jul 5, 1987
- Cessna 550, Dec 18, 1992
- Beech V35B, Jun 24, 1982
- 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.
