- Date
- January 6, 2025, 14:30 local (21:30 UTC)
- Place
- Red Rock, MT · North of 4U9
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Aircraft
- N4644YPiper PA-18-150
- Defining event
- Takeoff: Nose over/nose down
- 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
- 20250106000119A
- Case key
- 199517
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 takeoff, which resulted in an impact with deep snow and vegetation.
Findings · 4
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 a tail wheel equipped airplane reported that due to carburetor icing he was forced to land on a mountain ridge. After clearing snow and sagebrush to make a runway, the pilot attempted to depart, but during the takeoff roll the airplane veered right into deep snow and sagebrush. The airplane nosed over and came to rest inverted, which resulted in substantial damage to the wing struts, rudder and vertical stabilizer. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N4644Y
- Reported as
- Piper PA-18-150
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 18-8945
- Built
- 1971
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320 SERIES, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Public aircraft - state · Public use
- Operator
- State Of Montana
- Registered owner
- State Of Montana
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- DLN · Dillon, MT, MT
- Flight plan
- VFR
- Equipment
- Electronic flight bag or handheld device, ADS-B
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
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- August 28, 2023
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 3,290 total · 1,230 in this make and model · 3,225 as pilot in command · 37 in the last 90 days · 31 in the last 30 days · 0 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 10,000 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 30 °F, dew point 18 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.15 inHg
- Observed at
- KDLN, 23 nm away
- METAR
- KDLN 060853Z AUTO 00000KT 10SM OVC100 M07/M08 A3015 RMK AO2 SLP257 T10721083 58003
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on April 22, 2025, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 2.4 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.