- Date
- May 8, 1993, 20:30 local (May 9, 1993, 02:30 UTC)
- Place
- Fort Benton, MT
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N56542Piper PA-36
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 3, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19930508013399A
- Case key
- 43020
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 planning/decision. Factors to the accident were: turbulence, downdrafts, poor weather evaluation and altitude not maintained.
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
While returning from an aerial application flight, the airplane was cruising at an altitude of approximately 300 feet AGL when it flew under a squall line. The flight encountered severe turbulence and downdrafts. The pilot was unable to maintain altitude and the airplane descended to approximately 20 feet AGL. The pilot reduced power and landed the airplane in an open filed. During the landing roll, the airplane nosed down and slid to a stop.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N56542
- Reported as
- Piper PA-36
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 7360055
- Airframe hours
- 2,530
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-720-A1B, 400 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application · Part 137
- Operator
- Fultz, Wilbur R.
- Registered owner
- Fultz, Wilbur R.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Restricted (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · May 2, 1992 · 120 hours before
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
- 41
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Center
- Flight hours
- 1,624 total · 180 in this make and model · 1,541 as pilot in command · 25 in the last 90 days · 25 in the last 30 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 270° at 15 knots, gusting 25
- Visibility
- 50 statute miles
- Temperature
- 43 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.