Piper PA-34-220T N44MC
30 May 2010 · Lincoln, Montana, United States · Fatal
Summary
On 30 May 2010 at about 14:30 local time, a Piper PA-34-220T registered N44MC, operated by Marc A. Dobrowitsky, was involved in an accident near Lincoln, Montana, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 died. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 14:30
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Lincoln, Montana, United States
- Coordinates
- 47.0089, -112.8192
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-34-220T
- Registration
- N44MC
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 2
- Operator
- Marc A. Dobrowitsky
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Helena → Cranbrook BC
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- IMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- WPR10FA273
People
2 people died.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Probable cause
The pilot’s decision to continue flight into an area of low ceilings and low visibility and his failure to maintain sufficient clearance from mountainous terrain.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The instrument-rated pilot was on a visual-flight-rules cross-country flight over mountainous terrain in instrument meteorological conditions. The airplane was one of a flight of twelve participating in a guided air tour. Approximately 20 minutes after takeoff, the pilot of the accident airplane reported that he was encountering clouds at 8,500 feet and had received a global-positioning-system low-altitude alert. Minutes later there was an indistinct radio transmission believed to be the accident pilot; the transmission was followed by a radio transmission believed to be the passenger of the accident airplane who stated they had a problem and the airplane had hit trees. Scattered to broken cloud layers existed between 7,000 to 7,500 feet, with rain and mountain obscuration in the area of the accident. The wreckage was located in steep tree-covered terrain at 6,780 feet. Multiple trees with fresh slash marks were noted in the area of the wreckage. Postaccident examination of the aircraft wreckage showed no evidence of a preimpact mechanical malfunction or failure.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Piper PA-34 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 26 Mar 2010 | Piper PA-34-220T | Sedona, Arizona, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 15 Sep 2010 | Piper PA-34-200T | Inverness, Florida, United States | Citrus County Sheriffs Department | No injuries | - |
| 27 Jan 2010 | Piper PA-34 | Ipero, Brazil | - | Fatal | 2 |
| 28 Nov 2010 | Piper PA-34-200T | Nocagdoches, Texas, United States | Jeffrey O. Clarke | Minor injuries | - |
| 9 Jun 2010 | Piper PA-34-220T | Ankeny, Iowa, United States | McLaughlin John H | No injuries | - |
| 5 Mar 2010 | Piper PA-34-200T | Vero Beach, Florida, United States | Paris Air, Inc | Serious injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30 Aug 2010 | Cessna 182C | Belgrade, Montana, United States | Ikarus Aviation, LLC. | Fatal | 1 |
| 14 Jun 2010 | Stinson 108-1 | Townsend, Montana, United States | Nelson Matthew A | No injuries | - |
| 7 Jan 2010 | Bell 206B | Kalispell, Montana, United States | N127TP, LLC | No injuries | - |
| 2 Aug 2010 | Piper PA-12 | White Sulphur Springs, Montana, United States | Roatch Edward J | No injuries | - |
| 25 Mar 2010 | Piper PA-22-150 | Terry, Montana, United States | Daniel Miller | No injuries | - |
| 10 Aug 2010 | Piper PA18A | Billings, Montana, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |