- Date
- December 15, 1986, 12:00 local (19:00 UTC)
- Place
- Opheim, MT
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Aircraft
- N78588Piper PA-12
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19861215067869A
- Case key
- 17158
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 plt elected to take off downhill because he said the hill was too steep to try a takeoff uphill even into the wind. He said that just prior to lift off, he hit a snowbank which slowed the acft down. Deeper snow was then contacted and the acft flipped over.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N78588
- Reported as
- Piper PA-12
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 12-3957
- Airframe hours
- 3,049
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-E2D, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Charles Tmothy Trower
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · January 12, 1986 · 30 hours before
- Departed
- Scobey, 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
- 34
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 4,150 total · 200 in this make and model · 4,000 as pilot in command · 70 in the last 90 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 180° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 40 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 30 °F, dew point 25 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.
Other investigations on N78588 · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.