# Accident 20200912012629A: Cessna 172H, Seeley Lake, MT, September 12, 2020

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: September 12, 2020, 21:45 local time
- Place: Seeley Lake, MT
- Airport: Seeley Lake
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: Landing: Approach
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 47.1972° N, 113.4455° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=47.1972&lon=-113.4455&mi=10
- Aircraft: N3720R, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N3720R-2021-03-04) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Cessna 172H (registry code 2072424, https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-172h) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Continental 0-300 series (registry code 17022, https://openairdocs.org/engine/continental-0-300-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: CESSNA 172H
- Reported engine: LYCOMING 0-360-A1A
- People aboard: 3
- Fatal injuries: 2
- Other injuries: 1
- Pilot certificates: Private pilot
- Pilot flight hours: 532 total, 291 in this make and model, 27 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB WPR20LA304](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/WPR20LA304) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20200912012629A

## Narrative

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

SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 12, 2020 AT ABOUT 21:45 LOCAL. WHILE ON FINAL APPROACH TO RUNWAY 16 AT THE SEELEY LAKE AIRPORT (23S) N3720R A CE-172H CRASHED IN A HEAVILY WOODED AREA ABOUT ¾ OF A MILE NORTH OF RUNWAY 16. THERE WERE THREE PEOPLE ON BOARD. LEFT FRONT SEAT PILOT IN COMMAND WAS FATALLY INJURED, RIGHT FRONT SEAT PASSENGER WAS SERIOUSLY INJURED, LEFT REAR SEAT PASSENGER WAS FATALLY INJURED.

## 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 WPR20LA304](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/WPR20LA304), Sep 13, 2020: Cessna 172 (N3720R), Seeley Lake, MT, substantial damage, 2 fatal. Probable cause: The noninstrument-rated pilot’s encounter with instrument meteorological conditions during a night visual approach due to wildfire smoke, which resulted in controlled flight into terrain.

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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