# Accident 20040501007079A: Piper PA18105SPEC, Laurel, MT, May 1, 2004

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: May 1, 2004, 11:00 local time
- Place: Laurel, MT
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: Low Level Operations
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 45.6358° N, 108.7917° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=45.6358&lon=-108.7917&mi=10
- Aircraft: N5483H, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N5483H) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Piper PA-18-105 SPECIAL (registry code 7101808, https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-18-105-special) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Lycoming 0-290 series (registry code 41506, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-0-290-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: PIPER PA18105SPEC
- Reported engine: LYC O360C2A
- People aboard: 2
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Pilot flight hours: 890 total, 13 in this make and model, 52 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB SEA04LA077](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/SEA04LA077) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20040501007079A

## Narrative

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

(-23) ON MAY 1, 2004, AT APPROXIMATELY 1100 HOURS (MOUNTAIN), THE PILOT AND HIS PASSENGER WERE FLYING EASTBOUND DIRECTLY OVER THE YELLOWSTONE RIVER, SOUTH OF LAUREL, MONTANA, ON A SIGHTSEEING FLIGHT. JUST PRIOR TO THE ACCIDENT, THE PILOT WAS FLYING AT AN ALTITUDE OF APPROXIMATELY 50 FEET AGL, FOLLOWING SOME TRACKS ALONG THE RIVERBED, WHEN HE REDUCED ENGINE POWER TO SLOW DOWN FOR A CLOSER EXAMINATION OF THE TRACKS. THE NEXT THING THE PILOT REMEMBERS IS THAT HE IS SITTING UPSIDE DOWN IN HIS AIRCRAFT IN TWO FEET OF WATER. THE BILLINGS LOGAN INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT (KBIL) WINDS AT THE TIME WERE REPORTED AT 200 DEGREES AT 6 KNOTS. THE AIRPLANE FLIGHT MANUAL SUPPLEMENT WAS NOT IN THE AIRCRAFT AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT, NOR DID THE PILOT HAVE HIS MEDICAL CERTIFICATE IN HIS POSSESSION.

## 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 SEA04LA077](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/SEA04LA077), May 1, 2004: Piper PA-18-105 (N5483H), Laurel, MT, substantial damage. Probable cause: The pilot's failure to maintain adequate clearance/altitude while maneuvering resulting in the inadvertent in-flight collision with water/terrain.

## Other reports on N5483H (1)

Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.

- [Accident 19871103062319A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/19871103062319A), Nov 3, 1987: Piper PA18105SPEC (N5483H), Monte Vista, CO, Substantial damage. On rotation main gear off runway. Tail remained on runway. Aborted. Veered off runway. Aircraft nosed over.

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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