# Accident 20051216029729A: Piper PA28181, Butte, MT, December 16, 2005

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: December 16, 2005, 17:45 local time
- Place: Butte, MT
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: Normal Cruise
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 45.8492° N, 112.4506° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=45.8492&lon=-112.4506&mi=10
- Aircraft: N4350F, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N4350F-2013-07-15) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Piper PA-28-181 (registry code 7102807, https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-28-181) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: PIPER PA28181
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 1
- Pilot flight hours: 256 total, 256 in this make and model, 3 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB SEA06LA029](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/SEA06LA029) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20051216029729A

## Narrative

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

(-23) AIRCRAFT LEFT MILES CITY, MONTANA, ON DECEMBER 16, 2005. A FLIGHT PLAN WAS NOT FILED. A WITNESS SAW THE AIRCRAFT AT APPROXIMATELY 1740 LOCAL. THE WITNESS STATED THAT HE SAW THE AIRCRAFT HEADING IN A NORTHERLY DIRECTION, THE IT REVERSED COURSE AND FLEW BACK IN THE DIRECTION FROM WHICH IT CAME. THE WITNESS STATED THAT THE ENGINE SOUNDED NORMAL, THAT THE AIRCRAFT WAS FLYING IN AND OUT OF SNOW SQUALLS, AND THAT HE HEARD A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN POWER/RPMS. AN EMERGENCY TRANSMITTER (ELT) SIGNAL WAS DETECTED A SHORT TIME LATER BY THE SEARCH AND RESCUE TEAM.

## 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 SEA06LA029](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/SEA06LA029), Dec 17, 2005: Piper PA-28-181 (N4350F), Butte, MT, destroyed, 1 fatal. Probable cause: The pilot's failure to maintain clearance from the terrain during low-level maneuvering at night. Factors included the pilot’s improper in-flight decision to continue into an area that was forecasted…

## Other reports on N4350F (1)

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

- [Incident 19880830050809I](https://openairdocs.org/incident/19880830050809I), Aug 30, 1988: Piper PA28181 (N4350F), Miles City, Minor damage. Aircraft hit powerline while flying low on a search and rescue effort. Forest fire smoke limited visibility.

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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