- Date
- March 28, 1991, 17:36 local (Mar 29, 1991, 00:36 UTC)
- Place
- Butte, MT
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 1 serious
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N7133YPiper PA-30
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report July 13, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19910328007779A
- Case key
- 41310
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
Inadequate inflight decisions, fuel starvation, and failure to perform alternative IFR approach procedures. Factors include operation with known deficiencies in equipment, disorientation, and lack of familiarity with the geographic area.
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 pilot of the Piper PA-30 declared an emergency after failure of both engines, after three ILS approach attempts. During the landing after his emergency descent, the right wing-tip struck the snow-covered surface and the aircraft slid to a stop sideways. A total of 10.75 gallons of fuel remained in the aircraft. The aircraft had been aloft approximately 5.25 hours. Weather at the destination airport was VFR.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N7133Y
- Reported as
- Piper PA-30
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 30-155
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-320-B1A, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Michael Lynn Heling
- Registered owner
- Michael Lynn Heling
- Departed
- BIS · Bismark, ND
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- BTM · Bert Mooney
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
- 33
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 555 total · 68 in this make and model · 314 as pilot in command · 43 in the last 90 days · 16 in the last 30 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 300° at 15 knots
- Visibility
- 5 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 4,500 ft broken
- Temperature
- -0 °F, dew point -0 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- BTM, 15 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.