- Date
- January 3, 1985, 05:00 local (12:00 UTC)
- Place
- Manhattan, MT
- Injuries
- 1 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Uncontrolled descent
- Aircraft
- N13954Polliwagen 2 Place
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19850103000119A
- Case key
- 16568
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The acft crashed in an open flt shortly after takeoff and was destroyed by fire. There were no witnesses to the accident. The plt reportedly stated he needed to depart Manhattan by 0500 MST to arrive in helena before 0600 MST when the ATC twr opened as his acft was not radio equipped. The wreckage was discovered at 1430 MST by another acft. The private airstrip at Manhattan was not equipped with any rwy lighting. Inspection of the acft and eng did not disclose any mechanical failure/malfunction.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N13954
- Reported as
- Polliwagen 2 Place
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Airframe hours
- 51
- Engine
- Revmaster 2100D, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Jay Molendyk
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Unknown · January 2, 1985 · 1 hours before
- Departed
- MT
- Destination
- HLN · Helena, MT
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 28
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 500 total · 51 in this make and model · 400 as pilot in command
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- 150° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 9 °F, dew point 3 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- BZN, 8 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.