Cessna 180F N2698Y

Summary

On 17 March 2009 at about 20:45 local time, a Cessna 180F registered N2698Y, operated by Sparky Imeson, was involved in an accident near Townsend, Montana, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

17 March 2009 at 20:45

Classification

Accident

Location

Townsend, Montana, United States

Coordinates

46.4186, -111.5769

Aircraft

Cessna 180F

Registration

N2698Y

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Sparky Imeson

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Bozeman → Helena

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR09FA154

1 person died.

The pilot's failure to maintain clearance from trees and terrain while maneuvering at a low altitude.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot was on a cross-country flight during daytime visual meteorological conditions. A witness near the accident site reported observing a high-wing airplane similar to the accident airplane flying about 20 to 30 feet above the ground at a high rate of speed. The witness stated that the airplane was low enough to startle a herd of elk near the airplane's flight path. The witness continued watching the airplane as it pitched up and to the left, making a 180-degree turn steep enough to allow him to see the tops of both wings. There were no known witnesses to the accident sequence. The wreckage was located near the base of a mountain range about 2 days later, after being the subject of a missing airplane alert notice. Accident site documentation of the ground scars, contact evidence on the trees, and impact damage to the airplane were indicative of a high-speed controlled flight collision with trees and, subsequently, the ground. Examination of the airframe and engine revealed no evidence of any preimpact mechanical anomalies.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.