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20250926013279I

Incident · Minor damage
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FAA incident report · Engineering & Research 415-D · Fairfield, MT · September 26, 2025

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

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Date
September 26, 2025 · 11:27 local
Place
Fairfield, MT
Airport
Fairfiled Airport
Phase of flight
Landing: Approach
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N39TR
Reported as
Engineering & Research 415-D
Reported engine
Continental C90-12F
People aboard
2
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
0
N39TRRegistered now · Engineering & Research 415-DS/N 4770 · Built 1947Airframe modelEngineering & Research 415-DEngine modelContinental C90-12FReciprocating

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry 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.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

Upon turning base leg to land on runway 18 at 5U5, pilot and passenger heard a loud boom (nothing was visually seen by either person onboard). Performed landing normally. Postflight examination revealed damage to aft side and leading edge of propeller blade, engine cowling, and wing. Local law enforcement and volunteers performed a search of the reported drone. The search did not find any remnants of a drone or other foreign object that would have caused the reported damage.

As the FAA filed it

UPON TURNING BASE LEG TO LAND ON RUNWAY 18 AT 5U5, PILOT AND PASSENGER HEARD A LOUD BOOM (NOTHING WAS VISUALLY SEEN BY EITHER PERSON ONBOARD). PERFORMED LANDING NORMALLY. POSTFLIGHT EXAMINATION REVEALED DAMAGE TO AFT SIDE AND LEADING EDGE OF PROPELLER BLADE, ENGINE COWLING, AND WING. LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT AND VOLUNTEERS PERFORMED A SEARCH OF THE REPORTED DRONE. THE SEARCH DID NOT FIND ANY REMNANTS OF A DRONE OR OTHER FOREIGN OBJECT THAT WOULD HAVE CAUSED THE REPORTED DAMAGE.