- Date
- May 16, 1987, 12:00 local (18:00 UTC)
- Place
- Big Sky, MT
- Injuries
- 3 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N1979CCessna 170B
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report August 31, 1988
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19870516013479A
- Case key
- 17225
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 private plt was flying cross country in deteriorating weather conditions. Fog was forecast and light rain was in progress. The flt encountered less than VFR conditions in a mountainous area and reversed course. Weather was below VFR on the reverse course also. The plt elected to circle for an hour waiting for VFR conditions. A precautionary landing was attempted to a logging road. During roll out, the acft departed the road to the left and the left main gear struck an embankment and failed. The acft pivoted to the left and came to rest left wing down.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N1979C
- Reported as
- Cessna 170B
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 26124
- Airframe hours
- 4,950
- Engine
- Continental O-300, 145 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Doug S. Chapman
- Registered owner
- Chapman, Doug S.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · September 10, 1986 · 10 hours before
- Departed
- 29S · Gardiner, MT
- Destination
- 6S5 · Hamilton, MT
- Flight plan
- VFR
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
- 24
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 300 total · 11 in this make and model · 247 as pilot in command · 44 in the last 90 days · 4 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 1 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 750 ft
- Temperature
- 57 °F, dew point 57 °F
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 N1979C · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.