# Accident 19980411015239A: Piper PA46350P, Kalispell, MT, April 11, 1998

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: April 11, 1998, 02:21 local time
- Place: Kalispell, MT
- Airport: Glacier Park International
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: Normal Cruise
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 47.7406° N, 113.7400° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=47.7406&lon=-113.7400&mi=10
- Aircraft: N9247W, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N9247W-2013-06-05) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Piper PA 46-350P (registry code 7104620, https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-46-350p) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Lycoming TI0-540 series (registry code 41533, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-ti0-540-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: PIPER PA46350P
- Reported engine: LYC TIO540AE2
- People aboard: 2
- Fatal injuries: 2
- Pilot flight hours: 11,450 total, 920 in this make and model, 60 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB SEA98FA101](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/SEA98FA101) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19980411015239A

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

DISAPPEARED FROM RADAR FAST OF FCA IN MOUNTAIN TERRAIN. BECAME MISSING. (-23) ON APRIL 11, 1998 AT 0221 MDT A PIPER NA-46-350P MALIBU N9247W REGISTERED TO CM SYSTEMS OF POLSON, MT AND BEING FLOWN BY AN AIRLINE TRANSPORT PILOT DISAPPEARED FROM RADAR 20NM EAST-SOUTHEAST OF GLACIER PARK INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT (FCA) KALISPELL, MT. THE AIRCRAFT IS MISSING AND PILOT AND PASSENGER ARE PRESUMED TO HAVE SUSTAINED FATAL INJURIES. THE FLIGHT WAS PRESUMED TO BE PERSONAL FROM MADISON, WI TO POLSON, MT.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   (.4)THE AIRCRAFT DISAPPEARED FROM AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL (ATC) RADAR IMMEDIATELY AFTER BEING CLEARED TO DESCEND FROM 12,000 FEET TO 10,000 FEET. ATC RADAR DATA SHOWED THE AIRCRAFT AT 11,900 TO 12,000 FEET FOR APPROXIMATELY THE LAST 6 MINUTES PRIOR TO THE DISAPPEARANCE, WITH THE LAST MODE C ALTITUDE (AT 0221:03) REPORTED AS 11,900 FEET.  SUBSEQUENT ATTEMPTS BY THE CONTROLLER TO CONTACT THE AIRCRAFT WERE UNSUCCESSFUL.  A 7,000- TO 7,500-FOOT OVERCAST WAS REPORTED AT THE DESTINATION, ALONG WITH LOWER CLOUDS AND PRECIPITATION.  THE AIRCRAFT IMPACTED APPROXIMATELY STRAIGHT-AND-LEVEL INTO A NORTHWEST-FACING 60-DEGREE MOUNTAIN SLOPE AT APPROXIMATELY THE 5,600-FOOT LEVEL, AND WAS NOT LOCATED FOR APPROXIMATELY TWO MONTHS.  POST-ACCIDENT EXAMINATIONS OF THE AIRCRAFT'S BENDIX/KING KEA-130A (UNITED INSTRUMENTS 5035PB-P57) ENCODING ALTIMETER REVEALED NEEDLE CAPTURE AND NEEDLE IMPRESSIONS ON THE INDICATOR FACE AND POINTERS CONSISTENT WITH AN ALTITUDE INDICATION OF 12,620 FEET AT IMPACT.  THE AIRCRAFT WAS ALSO EQUIPPED WITH A COPILOT'S ALTIMETER; EXAMINATION OF AN ALTIMETER FACE FORWARDED BY THE ACCIDENT PILOT'S FATHER, WHICH THE PILOT'S FATHER REPORTED HAD BEEN RECOVERED FROM THE ACCIDENT SITE, RE VEALED NEEDLE IMPRESSIONS ON THAT ALIMETER FACE CONSISTENT WITH AN ALTITUDE INDICATION OF 5,560 FEET AT IMPACT. THE PILOT'S 4-DAY ACTIVITY HISTORY SHOWED THAT HE WAS RETURNED FROM A DEMANDING 3-DAY WORK ASSIGNMENT, THAT HIS RECENT SLEEPING SCHEDULE WAS IRREGULAR, AND THAT HE HAD BEEN AWAKE ABOUT 20 HOURS AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDNET.

## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1)

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

- [NTSB SEA98FA101](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/SEA98FA101), Apr 11, 1998: Piper PA-46-350P (N9247W), Bigfork, MT, destroyed, 2 fatal. Probable cause: The pilot's failure to maintain terrain clearance for undetermined reasons. Contributing factors were the mountainous terrain, trees, dark night conditions, clouds and pilot fatigue.

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

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