# Accident 19980519010149A: Piper PA31T1, Great Falls, MT, May 19, 1998 - Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported - Date: May 19, 1998, 15:36 local time - Place: Great Falls, MT - Airport: Great Falls International - Damage: Destroyed - Phase of flight: In Traffic Pattern-Circling - Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91) - Location: 47.5103° N, 111.2701° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=47.5103&lon=-111.2701&mi=10 - Aircraft: N121BE, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N121BE-2000-04-24) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry model: Piper PA-31T1 (registry code 7103126, https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-31t1) (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: PIPER PA31T1 - Reported engine: PWA PT6A11 - People aboard: 2 - Fatal injuries: 2 - Pilot flight hours: 2,347 total, 49 in the last 90 days - NTSB investigation: [NTSB SEA98FA078](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/SEA98FA078) (OpenAirDocs) - FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/) - Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19980519010149A ## Narrative As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^. ANNUAL IFR CURRENCY FLIGHT FOR INSURANCE. BEGAN GO AROUND STALLED CRASHED AND BURNED RIGHT ENGINE POWER LEVER OFF.(.4) THE FLIGHT WAS ON A PRACTICE NONDIRECTIONAL BEACON (NDB) APPROACH TO GREAT FALLS RUNWAY 34 IN VISUAL CONDITIONS. ABEAM THE FINAL APPROACH FIX, THE AIRCRAFT WAS 4 MILES RIGHT OF COURSE. UPON BEING ADVISED OF THIS BY ATC, THE PILOT CORRECTED BACK TO FINAL WITH A 60-DEGREE INTERCEPT ANGLE, ROLLING OUT ON COURSE 3 MILES FROM THE RUNWAY. WHEN THE PILOT CALLED MISSED APPROACH, THE LOCAL CONTROLLER (A TRAINEE) INSTRUCTED THE PILOT TO MAKE A 360-DEGREE RIGHT TURN TO ENTER RIGHT DOWNWIND FOR RUNWAY 3, AND THE PILOT ACKNOWLEDGED. THE CONTROLLER TRAINEE THEN AMENDED THIS INSTRUCTION TO A 180-DEGREE RIGHT TURN TO ENTER RIGHT DOWNWIND FOR RUNWAY 21, THEN TO A 180-DGREE RIGHT TURN TO ENTER RIGHT DOWNWIND FOR RUNWAY 3. THE CREW DID NOT ACKNOWLEDGE THE AMENDED INSTRUCTION. CONTROLLERS THEN OBSERVED THE AIRPLANE HAD CRASHED. WITNESSES REPORTED THE AIRPLANE ENTERED A STEEP DESCENT FROM A RIGHT TURN AND IMPACTED THE GROUND AT A STEEP ANGLE. THE FLIGHT WAS DESCRIBED AS RECURRENT TRAINING REQUIRED BY THE OWNER'SINSURANCE; HOWEVER, THE SECOND AIRCRAFT OCCUPANT'S AIRLINE TRANSPORT PILOT AND FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR CERTIFICATES HAD BEEN REVOKED, AND HE HELD ONLY A PRIVATE PILOT CERTIFICATE. INVESTIGATORS FOUND NO EVIDENCE OF AIRCRAFT MALFUNCTIONS. (-23) N121BE A PIPER, PA31TA1, WAS PRACTICING A NDB APPROACH TO RUNWAY 34 AT GREAT FALLS, MONTANA UNDER VMC. THE AIRCRAFT EXECUTED A MISSED APPROACH AND WAS INSTRUCTED BY AIR TRAFFIC TO MAKE A 180 DEGREE TURN AND ENTER A RIGHT DOWN WIND FOR RUNWAY 3. THE AIRCRAFT WAS OBSERVED TO ENTER AN ABRUPT DESCENT AND IMPACT THE TERRAIN. THE AIRCRAFT WAS DESTROYED BY THE IMPACT AND POST-CRASH FIRE. BOTH OF THE AIRCRAFT'S OCCUPANTS WERE FATALLY INJURED. THE LOCATION WAS APPROXIMATELY 1/2 MILE ESE OF THE GREAT FALLS AIRPORT. IT IS UNKNOWN WHO WAS THE PILOT FLYING THE AIRCRAFT AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT. THE LISTED PIC WAS THE REGISTERED OWNER OF THE AIRCRAFT. THE PILOT LISTED AS SIC WAS A CERTIFICATED PRIVATE PILOT. HE FORMERLY HELD AN ATP AND CFI CERTIFICATE, WHICH HAD BEEN REVOKED BY THE FAA. AT THE ACCIDENT SITE, INVESTIGATORS FOUND ALL ENGINE AND PROPELLER CONTROLS FULL FORWARD OR NEAR FULL FORWARD WITH THE EXCEPTION OF THE RIGHT CONDITION LEVER WHICH WAS IN THE OFF POS ITION. THE CONDITION LEVER LINKAGE ON THE RIGHT ENGINE WAS HEAVILY DAMAGED, BUT ALSO APPEARED TO BE IN THE CUTOFF POSITION. THE ENGINES AND PROPELLERS WERE SENT TO THEIR RESPECTIVE MANUFACTURERS FOR A TEAR DOWN INSPECTION. THE FLIGHT WAS DESCRIBED AS AN ANNUAL "RECERTIFICATION FLIGHT" REQUIRED BY THE AIRCRAFT OWNER'S INSURANCE POLICY. ## 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 SEA98FA078](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/SEA98FA078), May 19, 1998: Piper PA-31T1 (N121BE), Great Falls, MT, destroyed, 2 fatal. Probable cause: The flight crew's failure to maintain aircraft control. ## Other reports on N121BE (1) Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date. - [Incident 19960505013319I](https://openairdocs.org/incident/19960505013319I), May 5, 1996: Piper PA31T1 (N121BE), Helena, MT, Minor damage. Narrative: on may 5, 1996, at 1535 local MST, a Piper cheyenne, operated by pilot in command bruce erickson, on a personal flight, reported that at 27,000… 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. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.