- Date
- May 29, 1992, 12:35 local (18:35 UTC)
- Place
- Monarch, MT
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N6434RPiper PA-28-140
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 28, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19920529017259A
- Case key
- 41684
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 in command's disregard of the weather forecast and failure to maintain clearance with trees/terrain. Factors contributing to the accident were: hilly/mountainous terrain, weather conditions: rain, low ceilings and downdrafts, trees and the pilot in command's continued flight into known adverse weather.
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
After receiving a weather briefing during which VFR flight was not recommended, the non-instrument rated pilot departed priest river, en route to lewistown. Approximately 50 nautical miles short of his destination, over hilly/mountainous terrain, the aircraft collided with trees near the top of a 7650 foot ridgeline and crashed. The pilot reported low ceilings and 1.5 miles visibility restricted by moderate rain and clouds at the time of the accident. He also reported a loss of altitude at full power approaching the ridgeline that was not attributed to any aircraft malfunction.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N6434R
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28-140
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28-21615
- Airframe hours
- 2,662
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-E2A, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Chamberlain, Dwight N.
- Registered owner
- Chamberlain, Dwight N.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · October 1, 1991 · 53 hours before
- Departed
- 1S6 · Priest River, ID
- Destination
- LWT · Lewistown, 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
- 37
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 263 total · 198 in this make and model · 256 as pilot in command · 36 in the last 90 days · 12 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Wind
- 240° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 45 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 4,500 ft broken
- Temperature
- 54 °F, dew point 50 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- GTF, 38 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.