- Date
- December 9, 1990, 15:26 local (22:26 UTC)
- Place
- Bozeman, MT
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N9159BBeech 3NM
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 8, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19901209059319A
- Case key
- 41372
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
The failure of the right engine master rod.
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
A Beech 3NM sustained substantial damage when the right engine master rod failed and the crankshaft seized. The propeller separated and struck the nose of the airplane, doing structural damage and shearing off a nose fuel tank. The pilot returned safely to his departure point.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N9159B
- Reported as
- Beech 3NM
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- CA 242
- Engine
- P&W R-985, 450 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Ferry · Part 91
- Operator
- Wayne G Meyer
- Registered owner
- Unknown
- Destination
- TWF · Twin Falls, ID
- Flight plan
- VFR
- Airport
- BZN · Gallatin Field
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
- 42
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Flight hours
- 3,600 total
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 45 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- -0 °F, dew point -0 °F
- Observed at
- BZN, 20 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.