- Date
- July 4, 2023, 16:02 local (22:02 UTC)
- Place
- Belgrade, MT · airport environment
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N3171HMaule MX7-180C
- Defining event
- Landing-landing roll: Runway excursion
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Western Pacific Region
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration
- FAA report
- 20230704008709A
- Case key
- 192532
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 failure to maintain directional control during landing with a quartering tailwind, which resulted in a runway excursion and nose over.
Findings · 3
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The pilot of the tailwheel equipped airplane reported that during landing, the airplane’s tail swung to the right and the airplane veered to the left. The airplane struck a runway edge cone, then exited the turf runway and nosed over. The left wing, both wing struts, the vertical stabilizer, and the rudder were substantially damaged. The pilot said there was a 6-10 kt left quartering tailwind when he exited the airplane. He reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N3171H
- Reported as
- Maule MX7-180C
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 22045C
- Built
- 2018
- Airframe hours
- 142.3
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360-C1F, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · January 31, 2023 · 14 hours before
- Airport
- KBZN · Bozeman Yellowstone Intl, runway 11, 2,802 × 80 ft, grass/turf
- Equipment
- Electronic flight bag or handheld device, ADS-B, Stall warning system
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
- 67
- Injuries
- Minor
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- May 10, 2022
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 3,250 total · 57 in this make and model · 3,000 as pilot in command · 8 in the last 90 days · 3 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 68 °F, dew point 45 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.21 inHg
- Observed at
- KBZN, 1 nm away
- METAR
- KBZN 042156Z VRB04KT 10SM CLR 20/07 A3021 RMK AO2 SLP206 T02000072
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on November 2, 2023, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 2.6 MB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.