- Date
- August 10, 2023, 18:00 local (Aug 11, 2023, 00:00 UTC)
- Place
- Miles City, MT · Ranch
- Injuries
- 1 serious, 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N3609KPiper J3C-65
- Defining event
- Landing: Collision with terr/obj (non-CFIT)
- 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
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20230810010639A
- Case key
- 192865
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 control of the airplane while landing on unimproved terrain.
Findings · 2
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 was relocating the airplane to a hangar on his ranch. The pilot reported that the airplane did not climb as he expected after takeoff with a headwind to the west. About 100 ft above ground level (agl), the pilot initiated a left turn to the east to perform a precautionary landing to unimproved terrain. Subsequently, the airplane impacted terrain resulting in substantial damage to the fuselage and left wing. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N3609K
- Reported as
- Piper J3C-65
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 22299
- Engine
- Continental O-200, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Balsam Shane C
- Registered owner
- Balsam Shane C
- Airworthiness certificate
- Unknown
- Destination
- Same as departure
- Equipment
- Unknown
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
- 56
- Injuries
- Serious
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, With waivers/limitations
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 280° at 15 knots, gusting 22
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Temperature
- 88 °F, dew point 41 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.70 inHg
- Observed at
- KMLS, 31 nm away
- METAR
- KMLS 102353Z AUTO 28015G22KT 10SM SCT110 31/05 A2970 RMK AO2 SLP037 T03060050 10311 20261 58004
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on July 2, 2024, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 804 KB 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.
Other investigations on N3609K · 2
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.