Individually Owned: 150,657
Corporate Owned: 137,281
Helena Regional Airport
Aircraft Accident/Incident Report
Helena, Montana 59601
Friday, April 8, 1988 23:30 MDT
NTSB Narrative Summary Released at Completion of Accident
THE ACFT DEPD GLASGOW, MONTANA, WHERE THE PASSENGER (SECRETARY OF STATE FOR MONTANA) HAD BEEN CAMPAIGNING. INITIALLY, A VFR FLT PLAN HAD BEEN FILED; HOWEVER, DRG ARRIVAL AT HELENA, AN IFR FLT PLAN WAS FILED WHEN THE PLT REALIZED THE WX HAD DETERIORATED. THE FCST HAD INDICATED CHC OF CEILING 2500 BKN WITH LIGHT SNOW. THE PLT WAS CLRD FOR AN ILS RWY 27 APCH AT 2328 MDT. THE PLT ACKNOWLEDGED THE CLNC, BUT A SHORT TIME LATER, RADIO CTC WAS LOST. THE ACFT CRASHED ALONG THE ILS COURSE AFTER IT HAD PASSED THE FINAL APCH FIX/OUTER MARKER. WITNESSES RPRTD THAT A SNOW STORM BEGAN JUST BEFORE THE ACDNT OCCURRED AND THE VISIBILITY WAS NEAR ZERO DUE TO BLOWING SNOW. THE ACFT IMPACTED IN A LEFT WING LOW, NOSE LOW ATTITUDE. WITNESSES SAID THEY HEARD THE ACFT OPERATING AT HIGH RPM AND LOW ALTITUDE BEFORE THE CRASH, OR THAT THE ENG SOUND INCREASED BEFORE IMPACT. ONE WITNESS SAID THE ENG SOUND VARIED FM HIGH TO LOW RPM. NO PREIMPACT PART FAILURE OR MALFUNCTION WAS FND. THE PLT HAD LOGGED 2 HRS IN C-310 AND 3 INSTRUMENT HRS IN PREV 90 DAYS.
NTSB Probable Cause Narrative
Not Yet Reported
Event Information
| Type of Event | Accident |
| Event Date | 4/8/1988 |
| Event Day of the Week | Friday |
| Time of Event | 2330 |
| Event Time Zone | Mountain Daylight Time |
| Event City | HELENA |
| Event State | MONTANA |
| Event Country | -- |
| Zipcode of the event site | 59601 |
| Event Date Year | 1988 |
| Event Date Month | 4 |
| MidAir Collision Indicator | No |
| On Ground Collision occurred ? | No |
| Event Location Latitude | -- |
| Event Location Longitude | -- |
| Event Location Airport | HELENA REGIONAL |
| Event Location Nearest Airport ID | HLN |
| Indicates whether the acc/inc occurred off or on an airport | Off Airport/Airstrip |
| Distance from airport in statute miles | 0 |
| Degrees magnetic from airport | 0 |
| Airport Elevation | 3873 |
| Weather Briefing Completeness | Full |
| Investigator's weather source | Witness |
| Time of the weather observation | 0 |
| Direction of event from weather observation facility (degrees) | 0 |
| Weather Observation Facility ID | |
| Elevation of weather observation facility | 0 |
| Distance of event from weather observation facility (units?) | 0 |
| Time Zone of the weather observation | |
| Lighting Conditions | Night/Dark |
| Lowest Ceiling Height | 0 |
| Lowest Non-Ceiling Height | 0 |
| Sky/Lowest/Cloud Conditions | Unknown |
| Sky Condition for Lowest Ceiling | Obscured |
| Visibility Runway Visual Range (Feet) | 0 |
| Visibility Runway Visual Value (Statute Miles) | 0 |
| Visibility (Statute Miles) | 0 |
| Air Temperature at event time (in degrees celsius) | 0 |
| Dew Point at event time (in degress fahrenheit) | -- |
| Wind Direction (degrees magnetic) | 360 |
| Variable Wind Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Speed (knots) | 13 |
| Wind Velocity Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Gust Indicator | Not Gusting |
| Wind Gust (knots) | 0 |
| Altimeter Setting at event time (in. Hg) | 30 |
| Density Altitude (feet) | 2990 |
| Intensity of Precipitation | Heavy |
| 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 | 2 |
| Injury Total Minor | -- |
| Injury Total None | -- |
| Injury Total Serious | -- |
| Injury Total All | 2 |
| Investigating Agency | NTSB |
| NTSB Docket Number (internal use) | 862 |
| NTSB Notification Source | -- |
| NTSB Notification Date | Apr 9 1988 12:00AM |
| NTSB Notification Time | 115 |
| Fiche Number and/or location -used to find docket information | 36826 |
| Date of most recent change to record | Feb 26 2001 8:06AM |
| User who most recently changed record | dbo |
| Basic weather conditions | Instrument Meteorological Cond |
| FAA District Office | -- |
Aircraft Involved |
|
|---|---|
Aircraft #1 |
|
| Aircraft Registration Number | N8008M |
| NTSB Number | DEN88FA093 |
| Missing Aircraft Indicator | N |
| Federal Aviation Reg. Part | Part 91: General Aviation |
| Type of Flight Plan filed | IFR |
| Flight plan Was Activated? | -- |
| Damage | Destroyed |
| Aircraft Fire | None |
| Aircraft Explosion | None |
| Aircraft Manufacturer's Full Name | CESSNA |
| Aircraft Model | 310I |
| Aircraft Series Identifier | 310I |
| Aircraft Serial Number | 310I0008 |
| Certified Max Gross Weight | 5100 |
| 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 | 6 |
| Number of Engines | 2 |
| Fixed gear or retractable gear | Retractable |
| Aircraft, Type of Last Inspection | Annual |
| Date of Last Inspection | Aug 24 1987 12:00AM |
| Airframe hours since last inspection | -- |
| Airframe Hours | 3650 |
| ELT Installed | Yes |
| ELT Activated | No |
| ELT Aided Location of Event Site | No |
| ELT Type | -- |
| Aircraft Owner Name | RONALD W. JOHNSON |
| Aircraft Owner Street Address | BOX 791 |
| Aircraft Owner City | DILLON |
| Aircraft Owner State | MT |
| Aircraft Owner Country | |
| Aircraft Owner Zipcode | 59725 |
| Operator is an individual? | -- |
| Operator Name | JOHNSON, RONALD W. |
| Operator Same as Owner? | No |
| Operator Is Doing Business As | -- |
| Operator Address Same as Owner? | No |
| Operator Street Address | BOX 791 |
| Operator City | DILLON |
| Operator State | MT |
| Operator Country | |
| Operator Zip code | 59725 |
| 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) | Business |
| Second Pilot on Board | No |
| Departure Point Same as Event | No |
| Departure Airport Code | GGW |
| Departure City | GLASGOW |
| Departure State | MT |
| Departure Country | |
| Departure Time | 2202 |
| Departure Time Zone | MDT |
| Destination Same as Local Flt | crash at destination city |
| Destination Airport Code | |
| Destination City | |
| Destination State | |
| Destination Country | |
| Specific Phase of Flight | Approach |
| Report sent to ICAO? | -- |
| Evacuation occurred | -- |
| Date of most recent change to record | Feb 26 2001 8:06AM |
| User who most recently changed record | dbo |
| Since inspection or accident | -- |
| Event Location Runway Number and Location | 27 |
| Runway Length | 9000 |
| Runway Width | 150 |
| Sight Seeing flight | No |
| Air Medical Flight | No |
| Medical Flight | -- |