Piper PA-23-250 N2345R

Summary

On 17 October 2025 at about 22:15 local time, a Piper PA-23-250 registered N2345R, operated by Blue Wave Air LLC, was involved in an accident near Condon, Montana, United States. 3 people were on board and 3 died. The aircraft was substantially damaged. No probable cause has been published yet; this accident is still under investigation.

Date

17 October 2025 at 22:15

Classification

Accident

Location

Condon, Montana, United States

Coordinates

47.2400, -113.1700

Aircraft

Piper PA-23-250

Registration

N2345R

Category

Airplane

Year built

1981

Engines

2

Operator

Blue Wave Air LLC

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Billings → Polson

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

IMC

Light

Dusk

NTSB number

WPR26LA020

3 people died.

The NTSB has not published a probable cause for this record. The investigation is still open; a final report usually follows one to two years after the accident.

Nothing about the cause is stated here that is not in the source record.

Read the full NTSB narrative

On October 17, 2025, about 1615 mountain daylight time, a Piper PA-23-250, N2345R, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Condon, Montana. The pilot and two passengers were fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. According to a report of preliminary air traffic control (ATC) services, at 1541, the pilot requested a climb to 14,000 ft mean sea level (msl) due to concerns about icing and was also advised of icing in the mid-teens by the controller. The pilot subsequently requested vectors toward lower terrain and then informed the controller that he was unable to maintain altitude before he declared an emergency, citing icing and an issue with the left engine. Salt Lake Center (ZLC) lost radar contact with the airplane at 1615. An airplane in the area attempted to relay communications to the accident airplane, but was unsuccessful. Another airplane advised ZLC that they were able to identify the accident airplane at 4,300 ft msl on ADS-B, northeast of Goat Mountain. Family members notified the Federal Aviation Administration when the flight did not arrive at its destination airport and an Alert Notice (ALNOT) was subsequently issued at 1629. Figure 1: ADS-B Flight track of the accident airplane’s final moments Search and Rescue aircraft were deployed from Malmstrom Air Force Base, along with members of the Missoula County Search and Rescue, Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation, and the Powell County Sheriff's Office. The accident site was located on October 18, 2025 in mountainous terrain at an elevation of 5,286 ft msl near Youngs Creek within the Bob Marshall Wilderness. The airplane was recovered to a secure facility for further examination.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.