Individually Owned: 150,657
Corporate Owned: 137,281
Aircraft Accident/Incident Report
Red Lodge, Montana 59068
Monday, June 9, 1997 10:30 MDT
NTSB Narrative Summary Released at Completion of Accident
The non instrument-rated pilot obtained two separate weather briefings on the late afternoon and following morning prior to departing on his intended flight from Glendive, MT, to McCall, ID. He was advised by the briefer that 'VFR flight was not recommended' due to a low pressure system in Montana along with obscurations. The flight departed Glendive; and approximately 4 hours later, the pilot radioed Great Falls AFSS looking for a VFR airport available for landing. Witnesses observed seeing the aircraft exit clouds (bases approximately 6,000 feet MSL or 800 feet AGL) and break up, with both wings separating. Weather at the site was described as 'low clouds' and 'overcast' with poor visibility. Both wing struts separated at the strut-to-fuselage attach points, and the right wing was found in two separate pieces just short of the intact left wing. Both wings impacted terrain short of the fuselage ground impact site. The wing spar carry-through channel was observed to have separated just inboard of the right wing-root to fuselage attach point. The fracture surfaces were characteristic of instantaneous overload separations. All horizontal and vertical control surfaces remained with the fuselage except the right elevator.
NTSB Probable Cause Narrative
The pilot-in-command's flight into known adverse weather and the subsequent overload and separation of the right wing-strut fuselage-to-strut attach point. Factors contributing were clouds and obscuration.
Event Information
| Type of Event | Accident |
| Event Date | 6/9/1997 |
| Event Day of the Week | Monday |
| Time of Event | 1030 |
| Event Time Zone | Mountain Daylight Time |
| Event City | RED LODGE |
| Event State | MONTANA |
| Event Country | -- |
| Zipcode of the event site | 59068 |
| Event Date Year | 1997 |
| Event Date Month | 6 |
| MidAir Collision Indicator | No |
| On Ground Collision occurred ? | No |
| Event Location Latitude | |
| Event Location Longitude | |
| Event Location Airport | |
| Event Location Nearest Airport ID | |
| Indicates whether the acc/inc occurred off or on an airport | Off Airport/Airstrip |
| Distance from airport in statute miles | -- |
| Degrees magnetic from airport | -- |
| Airport Elevation | -- |
| Weather Briefing Completeness | Unknown |
| Investigator's weather source | Weather Observation Facility |
| Time of the weather observation | 1056 Mountain Daylight Time |
| Direction of event from weather observation facility (degrees) | 0 |
| Weather Observation Facility ID | BIL |
| Elevation of weather observation facility | 3649 |
| Distance of event from weather observation facility (units?) | 0 |
| Time Zone of the weather observation | MDT |
| Lighting Conditions | Day |
| Lowest Ceiling Height | 600 |
| Lowest Non-Ceiling Height | 0 |
| Sky/Lowest/Cloud Conditions | Unknown |
| Sky Condition for Lowest Ceiling | Overcast |
| Visibility Runway Visual Range (Feet) | 0 |
| Visibility Runway Visual Value (Statute Miles) | 0 |
| Visibility (Statute Miles) | 10 |
| Air Temperature at event time (in degrees celsius) | 15 |
| Dew Point at event time (in degress fahrenheit) | 14 |
| Wind Direction (degrees magnetic) | 0 |
| Variable Wind Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Speed (knots) | 0 |
| Wind Velocity Indicator | Calm |
| Wind Gust Indicator | Not Gusting |
| Wind Gust (knots) | 0 |
| Altimeter Setting at event time (in. Hg) | 30 |
| Density Altitude (feet) | -- |
| Intensity of Precipitation | Unknown |
| METAR weather report | -- |
| Event Highest Injury | Fatal |
| On Ground, Fatal Injuries | 0 |
| On Ground, Minor Injuries | 0 |
| On Ground, Serious Injuries | 0 |
| Injury Total Fatal | 3 |
| Injury Total Minor | -- |
| Injury Total None | -- |
| Injury Total Serious | -- |
| Injury Total All | 3 |
| Investigating Agency | NTSB |
| NTSB Docket Number (internal use) | 1660 |
| NTSB Notification Source | -- |
| NTSB Notification Date | Jun 9 1997 12:00AM |
| NTSB Notification Time | 1037 |
| Fiche Number and/or location -used to find docket information | IMAGE |
| Date of most recent change to record | Dec 8 2000 12:21PM |
| User who most recently changed record | dbo |
| Basic weather conditions | Instrument Meteorological Cond |
| FAA District Office | -- |
Aircraft Involved |
|
|---|---|
Aircraft #1 |
|
| Aircraft Registration Number | N206EC |
| NTSB Number | SEA97FA133 |
| Missing Aircraft Indicator | N |
| Federal Aviation Reg. Part | Part 91: General Aviation |
| Type of Flight Plan filed | None |
| Flight plan Was Activated? | -- |
| Damage | Destroyed |
| Aircraft Fire | None |
| Aircraft Explosion | None |
| Aircraft Manufacturer's Full Name | Cessna |
| Aircraft Model | U206E |
| Aircraft Series Identifier | U206E |
| Aircraft Serial Number | U20601603 |
| Certified Max Gross Weight | 3600 |
| Aircraft Category | Airplane |
| Aircraft Registration Class | U.S. Registered/U.S. Soil |
| Aircraft is a homebuilt? | No |
| Flight Crew Seats | -- |
| Cabin Crew Seats | -- |
| Passenger Seats | -- |
| Total number of seats on the aircraft | 4 |
| Number of Engines | 1 |
| Fixed gear or retractable gear | Fixed |
| Aircraft, Type of Last Inspection | Annual |
| Date of Last Inspection | Feb 1 1997 12:00AM |
| Airframe hours since last inspection | 5 |
| Airframe Hours | 7101 |
| ELT Installed | Yes |
| ELT Activated | No |
| ELT Aided Location of Event Site | Unknown |
| ELT Type | -- |
| Aircraft Owner Name | PAYETTE RIVER INDUSTRIES, INC. |
| Aircraft Owner Street Address | PO BOX 1046 |
| Aircraft Owner City | MCCALL |
| Aircraft Owner State | ID |
| Aircraft Owner Country | |
| Aircraft Owner Zipcode | 83638 |
| Operator is an individual? | -- |
| Operator Name | CHENEY, ERNEST, J. |
| Operator Same as Owner? | No |
| Operator Is Doing Business As | -- |
| Operator Address Same as Owner? | No |
| Operator Street Address | PO BOX 1046 |
| Operator City | MCCALL |
| Operator State | ID |
| Operator Country | |
| Operator Zip code | 83638 |
| Operator Code | |
| Owner has at least one certificate | None |
| Other Operator of large aircraft? | No |
| Certified for Part 133 or 137 Operation | Unknown |
| Operator Certificate Number | -- |
| Indicates whether an air carrier operation was scheduled or not | -- |
| Indicates Domestic or International Flight | -- |
| Operator carrying Pax/Cargo/Mail | -- |
| Type of Flying (Per_Bus / Primary) | Personal |
| Second Pilot on Board | Yes |
| Departure Point Same as Event | No |
| Departure Airport Code | GDV |
| Departure City | GLENDIVE |
| Departure State | MT |
| Departure Country | |
| Departure Time | 840 |
| Departure Time Zone | MDT |
| Destination Same as Local Flt | -- |
| Destination Airport Code | MYL |
| Destination City | MCCALL |
| Destination State | ID |
| Destination Country | |
| Specific Phase of Flight | Cruise |
| Report sent to ICAO? | -- |
| Evacuation occurred | -- |
| Date of most recent change to record | Jan 2 2001 10:30AM |
| User who most recently changed record | dbo |
| Since inspection or accident | -- |
| Event Location Runway Number and Location | 0 |
| Runway Length | -- |
| Runway Width | -- |
| Sight Seeing flight | No |
| Air Medical Flight | No |
| Medical Flight | -- |