- Date
- December 26, 1991, 19:45 local (Dec 27, 1991, 02:45 UTC)
- Place
- Missoula, MT
- Injuries
- 1 serious, 3 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N6408PPiper PA-24-250
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report April 23, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19911226057269A
- Case key
- 41619
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 pilot's poor in-flight decision, failure to perform a missed approach, and improper altitude. Factors include poor preflight planning/preparation, and weather conditions below approach minimums.
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 a Piper PA-24 impacted the terrain while attempting to execute an ILS approah during weather conditions that were below minimums. The pilot, who had departed without first getting a weather briefing, stated that he was low on fuel. He had already attepmted the approach twice, before looking for an alternate in the surrounding area. Since he was unable to locate an alternate within fuel range, he elected to attempt the approach, even though he knew it was below minimums. The pilot descended below decision height, an eventually impacted the terrain.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N6408P
- Reported as
- Piper PA-24-250
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 24-1518
- Airframe hours
- 4,000
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-540-A1C5, 250 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Johnson Sales And Service
- Registered owner
- Johnson Sales And Service
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · February 10, 1991 · 35 hours before
- Departed
- O6U · Jackpot, NV
- Airport
- MSO · Missoula, runway 11, 10,000 × 200 ft
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
- 65
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 5,000 total · 200 in this make and model · 5,000 as pilot in command · 40 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- 140° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 1 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 400 ft
- Temperature
- 23 °F, dew point 21 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- MSO, 2 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.
Other investigations on N6408P · 2
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.