# Accident 20080523836349A: Maule MX7235, Boulder, MT, May 23, 2008

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: May 23, 2008, 15:21 local time
- Place: Boulder, MT
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: Normal Cruise
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 46.3208° N, 112.0700° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=46.3208&lon=-112.0700&mi=10
- Aircraft: N5657Y, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N5657Y-2013-04-22) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Maule MX-7-235 (registry code 5470207, https://openairdocs.org/model/maule-mx-7-235) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Lycoming IO-540 series (registry code 41530, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-io-540-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: MAULE MX7235
- People aboard: 2
- Fatal injuries: 1
- Pilot flight hours: 20,000 total, 900 in this make and model, 12 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB LAX08LA154](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/LAX08LA154) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20080523836349A

## Narrative

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

(-23) ON MAY 23,2008, AT 1521 MDT, A MAULE MX-7-235, N5657Y, REGISTER ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ COLLIDED WITH (2) 500K VOLT POWERLINE INTERPHASE SPACERS TEARING OFF LEFT WING AND SUBSEQUENTLY COMING TO REST IN TREES ON THE EAST SIDE OF HOULDER HILL, ADJACENT TO INTERSTATE 15 (MILE MARKER 171) APPROXIMATELY 20 MILES SOUTH OF HELENA, MONTANA, WHILE ON A PERSONAL TRIP. THE FLIGHT ORIGINATED AT BOUNTIFUL, UTAH (BTF) AT APPROXIMATELY 1229MDT. DEPARTING BFT, THE PILOT ACTIVATED A VFR FLIGHT PLAN AND WEATHER BRIEFING WITH VFR FLIGHT NO RECOMMENDED. INSTRUMENT METERIOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED AT THE SITE. THE AIRCRAFT AND THE PILOT, A CERTIFICATED FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR/FLIGHT ENGINEER/ATP RATED PILOT WAS FATALLY INJURED. THE PILOT'S WIFE SURVIVED WITH SERIOUS INJURIES. THERE IS ALSO HIGH PROBABILITY THAT THE AIRCRAFT WAS OPERATED OVER MAXIMUM GROSS WEIGHT UPON DEPARTURE OUT OF BTF, BUT IS UNKNOWN IF THIS HAD AN EFFECT ON THE OPERATIONAL CHARECTARISTICS OF THE AIRCRAFT AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT.

## 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 LAX08LA154](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/LAX08LA154), May 23, 2008: Maule MX-7-235 (N5657Y), Boulder, MT, substantial damage, 1 fatal. Probable cause: The pilot's decision to continue flight at low altitude in instrument weather conditions and his failure to maintain clearance from a power line. Contributing to the accident were low cloud and…

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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